Sam had no idea what Eye Patch was doing. With the information Herrison had provided him, he'd managed to track goon number two down easily. But his meeting with Snitch Gravel's newest supplier had turned into a quick getaway towards Chicago.

So now, after just one day and a half, Sam found himself returning home, led there by his target. Just where the hell was he going? And why wasn't he taking and precautions? Sam had been following him for over a hundred miles without difficulty.

It's a trap! He was such a geek when he was alone. Besides, it could be true. Maybe Eye Patch knew he was there, even if he'd been very careful.

There was one sure way to know for sure. So he plugged in his headphones, exited his traffic app and called the one man who could shed a light on these strange events.

"Hey there, Sam," Ron answered joyfully. "Let me guess. Patchy gave you the slip."

"Hi to you, too, long lost uncle. And no, I'm right on his tail. Except he's going to Chicago and I have no idea why."

"I'm wondering, would you ever even call me if you didn't want dirt on the Henchmen Squad?"

Sam smirked. "Don't be an overdramatic brat. Of course I wouldn't call."

Ron chuckled on the other end of the line. "I know, I know. Eye Patch has been summoned to the mothership. The deal fell through."

"What? Why?"

And how did Ron even know that? Sam always wondered, but his uncle never answered these types of questions. It was rare that he answered his phone on the first try so he Sam was already stretching his luck.

"Thank you dear ole dad. He started snooping around and scared the dubious supplier."

Damn it! Fredier was becoming such a pain in the butt with his snooping. "What were they buying anyway?"

It was getting so frustrating. Sam had always supposed it was weapons, but Von Crooken was taking care of that this time. Hell, half his team were making the bust that very day, maybe at that very moment since it was getting dark.

"Explosives."

Oh. Right. There was that, too. "So people just run around with explosives?"

"People run around with anything if they're subtle enough about it."

Ron was right. Sam just groaned. "So that's it? The deal is off?"

"Yep. Herrison should call any second now and let you know. Their snoop is tailing you."

Yes, he'd noticed he was being followed and he knew they were Agency because it was a poor kid, but it still bothered Sam. Why did the Agency have to send two people to do the same job?

"Misuse of personnel if I ever saw one," he mumbled.

"Maybe they don't trust you," Ron said joyfully, as if the very thought wasn't eating Sam alive.

"Yeah, maybe. How've you been?"

"Decent."

"Can't tell me shit, as usual, huh?"

"Nope. But I might be coming over in a few weeks. You all know how much I love crashing on your couch."

Sam couldn't help a smile. Ron wasn't in town much, but it was always great when he was. "Sure. Many couches at your disposal."

They continued to make small talk for a while, Sam telling him about college and what everyone had been up to, Ron laughing and joking without mentioning anything relevant about himself. It worked. The fact that he was alive was enough. Sam wasn't crazy enough to assume things would ever become normal. With how his life had been for the past years, it was a great achievement to make it to next week.

He entered the city as they continued their light chit chat. The sun had set and the city was a myriad of lights. Sam wasn't even sure if he should still be following Eye Patch. Herrison hadn't called yet and Sam had lost his tail.

"You're worried," Ron said.

"I'm not exactly sure what I should be doing right now." Like a given, Herrison started calling. "And there's my answer. Gotta go. Duty calls."

"Nice talking to you, Sam. Send my love to your father."

"You're kidding!"

"Yeah, I am." And he hung up, letting Herrison through.

"I was wondering when you'd call," Sam started. "Eye Patch--"

"Where are you?" Herrison asked urgently.

Sam frowned. "Just entered the city. Why?"

"Get to HQ as fast as you can."

Sam glanced at the clock on his dashboard. It was a little over ten at night. He'd actually wanted to go home, surprise Christine. Rest. "Why? What happened?"

"The Von Crooken situation blew up."

Sam's insides froze. That had been a very difficult operation, because it not only involved Snitch Gravel's main man, but a bunch of very unsavory characters Ron had warned them about.

"How?"

"Just get here!" And he hung up.

"Herrison? Damn it!" Why couldn't he just talk?

Sam ditched Eye Patch immediately and raced towards downtown. A million thoughts ran through his head as he judged every possible outcome. They'd blown their cover, someone was hurt, Von Crooken had gotten away again. They were all dead.

No, they couldn't be. His watch would have let him know the moment it happened.

Traffic was a nightmare even if it was clear by Chicago standards. It took Sam another half hour to finally reach the office building disguised as a real estate agency which hid their secret employer. He hurried up the stairs, past the fake reception, and towards the nearest council room. Screaming already filled the hall, but he couldn't make out the words.

He burst into the room and everyone fell silent. Herrison was on his feet next to the desk in the front of the room. Kyle slouched in a chair next to it, his arms crossed over his chest. Jessie, Angie, Kay and Tom stood around him, the girls dressed in their waitress uniforms, Tom with his mask off. No one was bleeding.

"Damn it, Herrison," he said between his teeth. "Don't scare me like that when no one is hurt."

"Oh, someone is hurt," Kyle mumbled.

"Shut up already!" Herrison said, but he didn't sound that upset. More worried if anything.

"What happened?" Sam asked looking from one worried face to the other.

Any potential answer was thwarted by the door opening and Keeves entering the room, an ice bag over his face.

"Oh, great," he snarled from behind the bag. "Someone with authority is here."

Sam stared at Keeves as he lowered the bag. His nose looked broken, her lip busted and both his eyes had violet marks under them. A suspicion started forming, but he pushed it back.

"Answers?" Sam prodded.

"He blew the operation!" Keeves said, pointing an accusing finger at Kyle.

"That's not entirely true," Tom interjected.

"He blew your cover!"

"We don't need our covers anymore," Jessie said, annoyed, taking her blue wig off. Her orange curls tumbled past her shoulders.

Before Sam could ask, Keeves threw the ice bag to the ground. "No! I've had it with this! He can't just do what he wants all the time."

"Will someone make sense already?" Sam asked.

"Kyle punched Von Crooken in the face," Kay muttered. "So we had to get out of there in a rush, especially because the other guys started shooting."

That didn't sound good, but since they were all there unscathed meant there was another issue. "Did you get it?"

"Yes," Herrison answered, taking a folded piece of paper and waving it towards Sam.

Sam let out a breath of relief. As soon as that was out of the way, the implications of what really happened sank in. They'd gotten away, but Kyle's action had still been rash and endangered the entire operation.

"Why did you punch him?" Unlikely that it was the only way to get the information.

"He was groping Kay," Kyle mumbled, his eyes fixed on a point on the floor.

Sam made a face. Yes, unwise but understandable. Von Crooken had it coming. But that didn't mean it hadn't been dangerous.

"Honestly, Kyle, I think Kay could've handled that on her own."

Kay didn't answer, nibbling on her lower lip. The fact that she wasn't defending Kyle meant she agreed with Sam, but her hesitance showed she didn't condemn what he'd done.

"You endangered the assignment!" Keeves raged.

"Oh, blow me, you asshole," Kyle said, not even looking at him.

"Kyle!" Kay chided.

"You did endanger the assignment." Sam crossed his arms over his chest and mirrored Kyle's pose. And it wasn't even the biggest problem. "And let me guess. Punched Keeves in the face."

"That obvious, huh?" Kyle asked, looking up at him with a grin. "But just the one time."

Maybe Sam was insane, but he felt more in awe of how Kyle had managed to get his nose, lip and eyes with just one punch. He must've centered it just right, though it still seemed borderline impossible.

"You're suspended!" Keeves yelled, flailing his arms madly. "Off field work until you get your shit together!"

"Slow down there, Keeves," Herrison said, raising his hands.

"I will slow down nothing, James! This is your fault anyway. You're too lenient on your team and you treat him like he's... he's..."

"Indispensable?" Kyle stood, chills bouncing off him and Sam fought the need to step back. "Go ahead, then. Suspend me. I could do with a few weeks' vacation."

Keeves faltered, obviously not prepared for Kyle agreeing with him. "You need to grow up already," he finally spat. "Not everything revolves around her." He nodded at Kay, picked up his ice bag and left the room.

"So I take it I'm not suspended?" Kyle asked, dropping back on his chair.

"No, of course not," Herrison said. "But I do agree that you need to trust Kay more."

Kyle didn't answer, which made it clear that he knew he'd screwed up, but didn't want to give Keeves any satisfaction.

"You guys should go," Herrison said. "You've all had a rough night."

Sam couldn't agree more. But before he could move an inch, Herrison asked him to stay for a moment. With a groan, he said goodbye to the others and waited for Herrison to give him the lecture Kyle was just spared.

"Sorry to hear about your mission," he started, "but we really have no control over your father."

"Can't you talk to him?" Sam asked. "He's your friend. Maybe he'll listen to you."

He sure as hell wasn't listening to them. Sam had tried talking to him about it over the years, but he'd gotten nothing more than on his first try. Just some more condescending words he found even harder to swallow as he grew up.

Without blind trust, Freider wasn't sharing his plan. Sam guessed he was trying to do the same thing they were and it was a miracle that Snitch Gravel had let him live so far. Maybe he found it amusing that a blundering idiot was trying to stop him with toy guns or whatever his father was using these days. Sam couldn't take him seriously and he doubted Snitch Gravel did.

Herrison shook his head. "I can't effectively do that without exposing myself and the Agency and I'm not authorized to do that."

"How bad was this Von Crooken thing?" Sam asked, defeated.

"Not that bad. Kyle did punch him, but since we got what we needed, there's virtually no damage. Jessie is right. They don't need the cover anymore. And we ruined his relationship with Stavorski which can only be counted as a plus."

"Then why were you so freaked out over the phone?"

Herrison nibbled on his lower lip. "Kyle shouldn't have hit Keeves. That's going to have repercussions."

Sam agreed, but he also knew that Kyle didn't just go left and right punching people. He knew his own strength, knew the dangers of losing his cool. That's why doing it twice in one night was a little suspicious.

"What exactly did Keeves say to him?"

"Yes, I admit Keeves triggered him."

"It was about Kay, wasn't it?"

Herrison heaved a sigh. "Yes. He said he didn't care if Von Crooken, um... screwed Kay if it helped her finish her assignment."

"And of course he didn't use that precise word." Keeves was a rat. He just probably didn't anticipate that the jibe was crossing the line.

"No, he did not. He used the uncensored version of the word," Herrison admitted.

"Then I can't really blame Kyle for punching him."

"Me neither. The thing is..." Herrison took in a deep breath. "This is a predictable trigger both Kyle and Jimmy have and they need to learn to control it. Especially because Kay and Jessie are more than competent to carry their own weight and don't need them standing up for their honor. Yes, it is chivalrous and yes, assholes like Keeves deserve it, but not when the consequence is endangering others."

"So, let me guess," Sam said, "you want me to pass the message along."

"That would be great," Herrisom said, sounding relieved. "It will sound a lot better coming from you."

"Okay, I'll talk to them. Can I go now?" Because his head was suddenly throbbing and there was nothing he wanted more than to go home.

"Yes. And you did a great job out there."

For a second, Sam was tempted to ask about his tail, but decided he didn't want another twenty minutes of awkward Herrison, so he just nodded and left. He had somewhere else to be. Somewhere a lot more pleasant.

♠️

The clicking of a lock had Christine startling out over her half-asleep stage. Her head felt heavy and groggy. The room was drenched in darkness and it was a little too hot for comfort. She clutched the sheet tighter against herself.

Another click as the secure door to the apartment was finally unlocked. Christine's eyes widened as she realized what was going on. There was only one other person except for her who had the keys to the apartment. Sam.

Her gaze shot to the clock on her nightstand. The green letters showed it was almost midnight. A day too soon. He was supposed to be back tomorrow.

The sound of the keys hitting the table sent her heart into hyperdrive. She kicked the body next to her almost hard enough to throw it out of bed.

"Sam's here," she hissed. "Disappear!"

There was a short pause before he scrambled out of bed and on to the floor.

"Christine?" Sam asked.

She hopped out of bed and hurried to the door of the bedroom. She yanked it open and posted herself in the doorway just as Sam was a mere foot away.

"Hey, there," she said with a smile. "What are you doing home so early? I was expecting you tomorrow." Damn, she shouldn't have said that.

"My dear dad decided to screw it up for me." Though his voice was normal, there was a mild frown on his face. He was also not coming over to kiss her and hug her like he usually did. "Why are you naked?"

"I was waiting for you. You promised we'd pick up where we left off, remember?"

His eyes narrowed. "Didn't you just say you were expecting me tomorrow?"

Damn it! Her grogginess was making it too hard to think and, unlike her, Sam was on full alert.

Why had she fallen asleep without cleaning up after herself? She always did it, never let him linger. And now, out of all times...

"Okay, you caught me. I like to sleep naked."

Sam tilted his head, but looked amused. "Really now?"

"Yes. I just thought you wouldn't like it, so I never told you."

"Why would you think that?"

Because you haven't slept with me yet. But she couldn't say that out loud. It sounded so desperate even inside her own head. And she was sure part of what drew Sam to her was her devil-may-care attitude. So she just shrugged instead.

Sam wasn't satisfied with her answer. His eyes moved past her, towards the dark room behind her. And just as if something had clicked inside his head, he moved around her.

She grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her, the rapid pulse in her veins almost making her shiver. Almost, but she was still afraid he would see the despair in her eyes.

"You haven't even given me a kiss," she said, her words tumbling over one another.

He frowned at her, and his body tensed. "Christine, are you alright?"

Was she acting all funky and couldn't tell because of the panic building up inside her? She just nodded and lifted herself on the tips of her toes to plant a kiss on his lips, praying that idiot had the sense to grab his shit by now.

Sam seemed to read her mind, because after a short peck, he pulled away. "Are you sure? Because you're acting really weird."

"I just missed you."

"You've missed me before. I've also woken you up from your sleep before and you were never like this." His eyes drifted to the dark room and then back to her. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He just narrowed his eyes at her some more, so she decided honesty was the best policy to get out of this one.

"Honestly, Sam. You think I have some other man hiding under the bed?" She didn't sound half as disdainful as she would have liked, but it was a start.

"Now I do." And he turned on the light and took the room in. Fortunately, it was empty.

"Then by all means, check," she said, waving her hand in the direction of the bed. Her hearing had turned fuzzy from the stress and she honestly hoped he wasn't as stupid as to hide under the bed.

Because Sam took her word for it, knelt and looked under the bed.

"Seriously, Sam? This is very offensive."

"I'm just humoring you," he said getting back on his feet and heading for the master bathroom.

Christine's throat clogged and she hurried after him. "Stop it! You're really making me feel like crap."

But he didn't stop. He entered the bathroom and stopped in the middle of it, looking around. She lingered in the doorway, her stomach twisting so badly, it made her sick. Maybe fainting would distract him.

Like a given, the closet door slid open and the irresponsible idiot ran for dear life, closing the bedroom door after him. Thank God he knew how to work the front door by now. She turned back to Sam who'd just checked the shower and put her hands on her hips. The sheet slipped off her, but she didn't care.

"Satisfied? Would you like to check the closet as well?"

Sam's eyes took her in for a second, but he just shrugged. "Good idea." And he moved past her, barely touching her, and back into the room.

Tears filled her eyes as she picked the sheet off the floor and followed him inside. It was safe now, but it just made the doubt hurt more. What had she done to trigger his suspicion? As she replayed their conversation inside her head, it didn't make sense for him to act like that unless he already suspected something. Which was impossible. She'd never slipped before now.

"You're not winning any brownie points right now," she said as Sam did a check of the closet.

"I don't want brownie points, Christine," he mumbled, shutting the door a little too hard.

"Then what do you want?"

He threw her another fleeting glance. "Get dressed."

She blinked. "What?"

"I'm exhausted. I had to do some damage control because Kyle punched Keeves in the face."

"I'm sure that creep deserved it."

"He did." Sam sighed. "I'm going to take a shower."

And he just left her there. Christine sat on the bed and grabbed her pajamas, her hands shaking. She'd usually argue with him, try to get him to change his mind about putting clothes on, but she didn't dare, not this time.

Yet, as she pulled on her t-shirt, a shiver ran down her spine which had nothing to do with the close call. She felt unwanted. Alone. Because no one could fill Sam's spot, make her feel happy and loved. Cherished and fulfilled. Except it wasn't happening much anymore. He was so distracted by everything going on recently that she never felt like he was putting her first.

She was never first. And it stung so badly because she was better than this. She was worth it, deserved to be adored by the man she loved in return. Instead, here she was, alone, while water ran in the bathroom.

As she lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, she wondered if things would ever change. Sam came out of the bathroom, all dressed up in his pajamas and lay next to her in bed without a word.

They lay in silence for a few moments then Christine turned off the light so they could lay in darkness as well.

"Christine," he suddenly said, his voice hesitant. "You'd tell me if something bothered you, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you were unhappy with us, you'd tell me."

"Yes, of course." Not. Because telling him that wouldn't fix anything.

"So, is there anything wrong? Anything not working?"

She hesitated. It was like he was asking for it. But she wouldn't admit it. "No, of course not." She paused a second. "What about you?"

"There is something." He heaves a sigh and folded his hands under his head. "But I'm not sure I should talk about it. Maybe we can fix it some other way."

The curiosity was eating her alive. "What is it?"

"I... I don't think this is a good time to get into it. I'm exhausted and not sure I can do the topic justice."

"But you will tell me."

"Mhm," he mumbled, and seemed to be fading fast.

"I do want something," she said, before she completely lost him.

"What's that?"

"Hold me."

For a second, she was afraid he wouldn't, that he was actually upset and the topic was his suspicion. But he turned around and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him.

And in that moment, as he fell asleep with his face in her hair, she felt loved, she felt cherished. She felt complete.

♠️♠️♠️

I will admit that I kind of like where I'm starting this book. It's exciting enough 😅 At least I think so.

You get to see a bit of Ron. You get to see some agency work. And you get to see the biggest trigger of mayhem and destruction in the world. Nope, kidding, but the trigger for all the drama has been revealed.

As a fun fact and something for me to consider, maybe that last section should be in Sam's POV. But for some reason, I wanted it out in the open. There will be more information on that, of course, and on what's been happening over the years. For some reason I seem to enjoy just throwing you in the midst of madness and explaining stuff later.

I won't be posting for a while. Mainly because I haven't finished the next chapter. But when I do again, I hope it will be with a schedule and constant updates.

Happy holidays everyone and have a great new year!