"One Good Cop" (closed)

[BeachBum25]

Patrick spent the next couple of days going through the information that Penny had provided him with. There was no doubt in his mind that all of this information was gathered by her mouthpiece. Patrick had done some digging and knew that Connor was Don Parker's Capo. He was, without a doubt, Penny's.

He started to formulate a plan. The first people he looked at were the members of the Homicide Unit. For them, he wished that he could unleash the power of some of Penny Parker's goons on them. These were cops who chose to do nothing about the murder of one of their own.

The members of the Homicide Unit were no longer cops. All were retired. Two were dead. One had moved away. The two who were involved in his parents' case that were still in the area, Patrick had paid visits to. He told them what he knew. He told them that he knew that they were dirty when they were on the job, and that he was going to the pension board about them. He told them that there was a very good chance that the protection they had enjoyed because of their mob connection was gone. Both of them had provided Patrick with information that they hoped would keep him from going after their pension... both were mistaken.

Driving back from the second one''s house, Patrick's thoughts turned to Penny Parker. He hadn't heard from her. He started to think that he had blown it with her. He had been forceful with her. he had to be. he could not just let her run over him. Perhaps though, he should have said it once and moved on.

He pulled the jeep into ACT Headquarters and went in to meet with the teams. He spoke with them about the need to make more arrests for Part I crimes. Their arrest totals were higher than they had been before his arrival, but they were still nowhere near where they needed to be. He wanted his squad to do their part to clean up Capital City.

As they finished their meeting, a uniform officer came in and told Patrick that the Lieutenant wanted to see him. This was unusual. The LT was usually gone when they were working the mid. What could he want?

Patrick came to find out that the Lieutenant was questioning the increase in the number of arrests his squad was making. The Lieutenant was insinuating that some of the charges were manufactured and that some of the arrests were innocent people that were just being pulled off the street. "I can assure you boss that everyone of the arrests by my guys is legit." The Lieutenant told him that he was going to be watching and that they better be legit.

Walking back to the squad room, Patrick wondered whose payroll the Lieutenant was on. Was he on Parker's? If he ever talked with Penny Parker again, he was going to ask her about him. If it wasn't Parker's, he was on somebody's payroll.

It was an uneventful night on the street. Patrick was on the streets with one of the teams, and what little crime that was committed, was nowhere near where they were at the time. After pulling back into ACT HQ and signing his guys out, Patrick looked over the daily reports. There seemed to be an increase in tension and there had been a couple of shooting incidents involving rival families; at least that what the initial thinking was. It was unusual for the families to go after one another. They all had their areas and pretty much stayed to themselves. Yes, there was an occasional beef, but this escalation felt like there was more to it. Maybe Penny was going to institute her plan on her own.

Patrick decided to look for a new place to get a beer. He hadn't been out since his night with Penny at Clancey's. Wow, that sounded wrong (his night with Penny.) he really wasn't with her. She just happened to stop in with her crew.

Patrick drove around his neighborhood for a while and didn't find anything to his liking. Fortunately, he had a couple beers in the fridge. He would just grab one of them and plan what he was going to do next with the information from the Parker Crime Family.

He grabbed a beer and headed off to the shower. Once out of the shower, he grabbed some of the info from the file, sat on his bed with his beer and looked at it again. It was going to be hard for him to make these people pay, but he HAD To figure it out.

While sitting there, he thought of Penny again. Having not heard from her, he figured the plan to work together was off. Patrick picked up his phone and called her on her personal cell. It rang, and then went to voicemail. "Are we going to do this, or not?"

 

[TooDamnCute4U]

FBI Surveillance Room
FBI HQ, Capital City
Three days ago:

"Who this?"

An FBI agent who was only half awake returned to full consciousness as his partner slapped him on the shoulder, pointed to the monitor, and repeated, "Who this? Have we seen this guy before?"

The second agent blinked his eyes back to life and studied the Jeep pulling up to the gates of the Parker Family Compound. The guard in the shack beyond the gate -- carrying an obviously illegal automatic urban assault rifle -- stepped through the man gate to check the interior of the Jeep, then waved to his counterpart still inside the Compound. The gates opened, and the Jeep rushed up the driveway and out of sight of the view of the camera mounted on a telephone pole opposite the driveway.

While he'd been studying the activity outside the gate, the Agent's partner had been tapping at a laptop before him that had access to a Federal data base. "Looks like the Parker's have a new fish on the hook."

"Who is he?"

"He's a cop, and not just any cop," the Fed at the laptop said, still tapping to bring up the new subject's record. "Sergeant Patrick Kelly, CCPD … Anti-Crime Team. Hot shit. Quite a record. Bunch of stuff here … no obvious corruption … seems to look clean..."

"He isn't," the other Agent said, knowing there was no such thing as a good cop in Capital City. "He just drove into the Parker Compound without being frisked and cleared. He's dirty."

"He's the detective that caught that shooting at Benito's last week," the first went on. "Don't we have video of Penny Parker going in there that night?"

"Sure do," the other responded. "Like I said … dirty. Only question is whether he's dirty and hittin' that."

The two laughed, sharing more inappropriate comments about the beautiful, sexy daughter of Butch the Blade as the agent at the laptop recorded the arrival of the CCPD Sergeant in the log.

"Hey, I'm gonna take a piss," the sleepy Agent said as he stood and headed for the tiny, dark room's exit. "You want coffee?"

He took his partner's order and headed down the hallway toward the restrooms. In a stall, he dropped his pants, sat, pulled out his cell, and tapped out a text:

You have a problem. CCPD Patrick Kelly working for Parkers.​

By the time he was ready to wipe his ass, a response caused his cell to vibrate:

Kill him.​

The agents eyes widened. He quickly responded:

WHY ME???​

A moment later, he got the response he expected:

Your daughter's treatments are going well, yes? Full recovery is expected? Would be a shame is the payment for them suddenly ceased.​

"Fuck," he murmured to himself. He hesitated a moment; he'd done a lot for the Chens since they'd offered to help his 14 year old daughter beat her cancer, but he'd never had a hand in killing a cop, let alone being responsible for killing one himself. He returned to his phone as he mumbled, "For you, Amy."

I will get it done.​

Parker Compound
Now:

Connor knocked loudly on the open door of Penny's bedroom before entering without a response from her. He caught her look of surprise and quickly informed her, "A hit squad is going after Sergeant Kelly."

Penny's eyes opened in shock. "When...? Who?"

"The who is the Chens," Connor said as he was heading for Penny's closet. He snatched up one of the overcoats he knew was her favorite and thrusted it out for her. With a serious tone he added, "The when is now … right now."

Penny looked at the coat and her Capo's urgency and knew what he presumed: that she would want him to stop this, and that she would want to see Patrick immediately.

"You have people responding, yes?" she asked, trying to hide her panic.

"I have dispatched men … but..."

"You were waiting for me to give the go ahead to intercede," Penny finished the thought. "Do it, Connor."

Knowing already that Penny was going to authorize a rescue mission, Connor lifted his cell phone to his ear and spoke to the man already on the line, "Do it."



Callahan's Brew
Downtown Capital City:

The man sitting in the rear passenger seat of the black windowed, armored SUV lowered his phone after getting confirmation and spoke into another phone which also functioned as a radio, "Move, move, mover."

In an instant, three SUVs -- each with 4 men in them -- surged from out of the dark of the quiet neighborhood to close on the Irish pub that had become the cop's new watering hole. The plan had been simple: surround Sergeant Kelly with protection before the hit team coming to get him arrived.

Little did Connor's men know but two members of the team were already inside. A man and woman in casual wear got a text of their own just about now and stood one after another in a manner that wouldn't have looked suspicious at all. With their backs to Patrick, they each pulled firearms from holsters and turned, leveling them at the cop.

 

[BeachBum25]

Patrick continued to run all of the information through his head. He added what he got from the dirty homicide cops to the file. He had made a decision not to go to fast with it. This had been many years in the making; he wasn’t going to rush into anything and screw it up. “Be patient,” he told himself. “Do it right for them.”

The next night Patrick was on the streets with his other team. Before leaving HQ Patrick noticed the Lieutenant was still there and saw the way the Lieutenant watched him as he headed out on the streets. Since there had been no response from Parker, Patrick would check with a CI to see if he could find any dirt on the Lieutenant.

It was a good night for the team he rode with. They were right around the corner when a Robbery-in-Progress call came out. The y rolled up in time to see the elderly woman sprawled on the ground and a punk dragging her by her purse, which she wouldn’t let go. Before the guy knew what hit him, he was tackled to the ground, handcuffed and dragged back to their unmarked unit. He was sitting in the back seat when the first patrol unit arrived. Sgt. Kelly showed the officer his badge and told him that they would take care of all the paperwork. He asked the patrol officer to transport the victim, who refused medical attention, to the detective bureau.

As soon as they finished the paperwork for the robbery arrest, they headed out and decided to get a bite to eat. The 2 team members wanted barbecue; Patrick went along with them. It was a bad thing for the robber that they chose Big Porker BBQ for dinner, because that was the place the robber decided to steal from. As the plain clothes officers walked in, the guy was pulling a gun on one of the waitresses. Patrick, sewing the guy was focused on the waitress was able to walk up right behind the guy and put his gun in the bad guy’s ear. “I guarantee you won’t hear the bullet that blows your brains out. Now, let her go.” The bad guy complied, his team ate for free, and they were headed back inside for more paperwork, which would probably take them to the end of their shift.

The paperwork actually took them beyond the end of their shift because the gun the robber had used in the robbery was stolen, which added another charge. When it was all complete, he gave the team members a high five and they all headed out. Patrick decided to stop at Callahan’s on the way home to get a beer to wind down from the active night.

It was a new place for him. He wasn’t real comfortable there and he didn’t know anyone. He found a seat at the far end of the bar. He did not like being in the middle; too many different directions for people to approach him from. He ordered a beer and used his peripheral vision to stake the place out.

He wasn’t sure what it was, but something caught his attention. He turned in the direction of the door just in time to see a flash. He heard the mirror break behind him as he dove to the floor and yelled for patrons to get down. There were rapid fire rounds fired off in his direction.

He pulled his service weapon as he surveyed his surroundings. He thought there were only two shooters but he did not know if there was anyone else with them. As he raised up to return fire, he felt something hit him in the chest like a sledgehammer. He fell back; the wind knocked out of him. Fortunately, he had left work with his best on. It was something he did whenever he was in a hurry to get out, and, being at work late today had given him a reason to hurry out..... good thing.

He laid on his back with his gun at the ready as he tried to catch his breath. He had a feeling the shooters thought they had accomplished their task, but, if they were any good, they would be coming over to verify.

Then he heard the door to the bar slam open; followed by shouting, and another round of gunfire. He rolled on his stomach to try to get into good firing position and to see who the new arrivals were. Maybe they were cops. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

He saw multiple men moving his way, and he saw the two who had fired on him laying in pools of blood on the floor of the bar. One of the men reached Patrick. “Sgt. Kelly, we are here for you.” Two of the men reached down and lifted Patrick to his feet. One took Patrick’s gun. “We’ll give it back. We just want to make sure there are no misunderstandings.” They practically dragged him out of the bar. He was still having trouble catching his breath.

The back door of the limo was open and he was literally thrown into the back seat. Patrick had no idea what was happening. His head was spinning. He wondered who had tried to kill him. Was it Parker? Who was it that had him dragged out of the bar and thrown into a limo? Where were they taking him? A lot of questions.... no answers.

 

[TooDamnCute4U]

Connor's armored SUV:

The driver was barely out the gate of the Compound when a voice sounded out over Connor's radio, "Shots fired, shots fired ... recovery team moving in ... engaging hostiles..."

If you hadn't already known that the recovery team was a bunch of goons, you might have thought you were listening to the CCPD's SWAT team or an Army infiltration unit.

Penny's eyes widened with panic and she was about to ask Connor what all this meant when the next report came from the radio, "Hostiles down, count two … target recovered and in transit ... Hollywood."

Connor lifted his radio to his mouth, asking, "Damage?"

A moment passed as -- unbeknownst to Connor or Penny -- the recovery team was stripping Patrick's torso, then, "One to the vest, I repeat, to the vest ... no penetration."

"See you at Hollywood," Connor responded before lowering his radio. He gave the driver an instruction, and the SUV slowed, spun a U-turn, and hurried off toward the city center. Connor looked to an obviously panicked Penny and explained, "Sergeant Kelly's fine. He took a shot to the--"

"He's shot?" Penny exclaimed, her eyes threatening glaze over.

But Connor calmed her with a waving gesture and continued, "He's not shot, he's fine ... but ... he'll be needing a new bulletproof vest."

"Vest ... he ... he got shot in the..." Penny started before going silent and slumping back into her seat. She felt the first tears filling her eyes and turned away from Connor. More to herself than to him she murmured, "In the vest ... he's fine.



Capital City Urgent Care
Downtown Clinic
Minutes later:

Connor, then Penny, then two more goons entered the clinic from the rear exit, at which two of Connor's Recovery Team members were standing guard with their very illegal and very frightening looking automatic urban assault rifles. She couldn't see it from here, of course, but the entire block was now surrounded by the other members of the Recovery Team and another 8 men Connor had had brought in from other locations.

Her Capo pushed open the door to an examination room, and Penny found herself relieved to see Patrick sitting upon the padded table while a doctor and male nurse wrapped his chest with tight fitting bandages. She smiled broadly and was able to prevent more eye glazing as -- remembering Connor's description -- she said simply, "You're fine."

"He'll remain fine," the Doctor said with a chastising tone, turning only his head to look to Penny as he continued, "so long as he remains still and stops fussing."

Penny laughed, wondering whether Patrick had been giving the doctor and Connor's men a hassle or whether the doctor was simply annoyed at having to deal with a bunch of goons invading his legitimate clinic with a shot cop.

"Doc, let me introduce you to the woman whose money supports you and your clinic," Connor said in a tone that was obviously meant to calm the medical professional. It worked; the doctor's hard expression faded suddenly and he turned to face the young woman fully. Connor continued, "Donna Parker, this is Doctor Taylor. We call him Doc Hollywood."

As a nurse took over tending to the bandaging, the doctor offered out his hand, which Penny took, asking, "And why do they call you that, Doctor Taylor?"

"Well, like Michael J. Fox's character, I was sort of recruited to work here in the beginning," he answered with a smile before adding, "and in the end, stayed for love."

Penny chuckled and, recalling the movie's most erotic scene, asked the doctor, "So, did some beautiful blonde woman with incredible ta-ta's come rising out of a lake at sunrise before your sleepy eyes?"

"Not a woman," the male nurse cut in, peeking to Penny, then the doctor, then back to his patient before finishing, "but it was a lake."

The doctor only shrugged as a grin spread his lips. Penny laughed, thinking We all deserve to be loved, and by whom only matters to those doing the loving.

That was when she turned her full attention to Patrick. As she stared at his torso, she couldn't help but feel both sympathy and lust. If you looked above and below the bandages encircling his rib cage, you saw a very fit body with nice pecs and an impressive six pack. Penny couldn't help but wonder whether the rest of his body was as impressive.

"Are you fine ... as my man Connor says you are?" she asked Patrick. She listened to his answer, then asked Doc Hollywood, "Could I have a moment with your patient?"

"We're done here, so..." the doctor replied. He and his boyfriend/nurse departed after handing Penny a bottle of pain killers, telling her firmly, "One at morning, one at night, and no more as these are addictive."

Penny gestured Connor and his man out as well, then turned to look to Patrick, asking without hesitation, "Are you mad at me?"

She was afraid that Patrick would see the Recovery Team's action in what should have been a police matter as an intrusion. They'd saved his life, of course, but they worked for a criminal organization. Penny couldn't know what he was feeling about this.

 

[BeachBum25]

"Throw those pills away. I am not taking any of them." He looked at her with a stare that asked why she was here. "I am fine. It is a bruise. Well, maybe a cracked rib, but, I am just fine."

"I am not mad at you Ms. Parker. I may be a little confused, but I am not mad at you." He paused for a minute. "What was your army doing there? Why were they there? Were they actually there for me? How did they know I would be there? Sorry, I have a lot of questions."

Looking into her eyes. "I guess, no matter what the answer to my questions is, I have to thank you for helping me out of there." He reached out his hand and took hers, then released it so she didn't think it was meant as anything other than a thank you

 

[TooDamnCute4U]

"Throw those pills away," Patrick told Penny as she stepped closer and offered them out. "I am not taking any of them."

"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned. She could see the grimace in his face as he moved and knew he was in pain. But she'd looked at the bottle already and knew that they were the same drug that was fueling Capital City's opioid epidemic, so, maybe he was right.

Patrick told her he wasn't mad at her, then tossed out more questions.

"One of Connor's contacts learned that there'd been a contract put out on your life," she explained. "He would have called your people, the police … but…"

She hesitated, unsure of how to explain to him what Connor had told her on the way over, that the Chen Family had ordered the hit via a dirty Fed. Patrick was already dealing with so many dirty law enforcement officials; was this really the best time to tell him that now he was a target?

"I guess, no matter what the answer to my questions is," he continued when Penny went silent, "I have to thank you for helping me out of there."

"I couldn't let you get killed," she responded without having to even contemplating. She felt a blush fill her face and turned away to feign an interest in the activity in the hall behind her. When she thought -- incorrectly -- that her color had returned to normal, she looked back to Patrick -- to his face, his body, his face again -- and told him, "Connor says it isn't safe for you to go back to your home … and … it might not even be safe for you to go back to the precinct."

She took a small step forward, cleared her throat, and told him with a hopeful tone, "You are welcome to stay at my home … at the Parker Compound."

 

[BeachBum25]

Patrick thought about what Penny was sharing with him. He wondered what would make her Capo assume that it wouldn't be safe for him to go back to his condo. The attempt on his life had been averted, so, there shouldn't be a problem with him going home.

The fact that Penny shared that it wouldn't be safe to go back to work was even more incredible than him not being able to go home. What could be the problem at work? Then he thought about the Lieutenant? Could he be involved?

"Stay at your place? Stay at the Parker Compound? How would that work? I am not sure that would be a very good look for me. I am not sure that the higher ups would appreciate me coming and going from your house everyday on my way to work."

Then his thoughts returned to her saying that it might not be safe for him to go to work. "What is it that you know that you aren't telling me Ms. Parker? Do you have information or is this just some assumption that you and your mouthpiece are making?"

He slid gently off the table and stood in front of Penny. "Come on Ms. Parker. Tell me what it is that you are not sharing with me. If you want me to stay at the Parker Compound, you think I need to stay there for a little while and not leave, don't you?" He stared at her waiting for her response. "are you telling me that there are people in the CCPD that are involved in what happened to me tonight?"

His mind was racing at the speed of light right now. What was going on? Did someone put a hit on him? If so, why? What was he going to do now? Going to the Parker Compound would create some problems. Not going, could cost him his life. He also wondered what had been done with the crime scene at Callahan's. There were people there who witnessed what happened. Had they heard someone call his name?

"I will go back to your compound with you Ms. Parker. I will go with you until I can figure out what all of this is about. While I am there, I am anxious to consummate our deal and begin working toward our common goal."

 

[TooDamnCute4U]

"Stay at your place?" Patrick asked. "Stay at the Parker Compound? How would that work?"

He talked about the appearance of being hold up on the property of a Crime Family, to which Penny said with confidence, "No one will know you're there."

She could make such assurances based on her knowledge of the surveillance being conducted on the Compound. The FBI camera mounted on a telephone pole across the road had been discovered years ago and left in place. Penny's father had thought it better to know where the camera was and just what it could see rather than disable it and possibly have another one mounted in a more threatening location. And there were no cameras from either law enforcement or the competing Families that looked in on the backside of the estate, which was the reason Penny spent all of her time back there, whether it be on the patio, in the pool, or out in the pastures or woods.

When he asked what she knew that she wasn't telling him, Penny said simply, "Not here. I'll tell you all I know … every thing … once we are in the safety of my home."

When he mentioned consummating their deal, Penny had to suppress an urge to smile. There was something other than their deal that she wished to consummate. But she was pretty sure that was the last thing on Patrick's mind after she'd wrong him so badly with the murder of MacCormick.



It took less than 30 minutes for them to return to the Compound from downtown. Penny gave Patrick a quick tour of the portions of the mansion of which he would need or might want to be aware, including the kitchen, gym, library (with its wet bar), and the bedroom he'd be occupying for this night or any others that he might want to spend here.

"My bedroom's down there," she said casually, pointing to the door at the end of the hall. "You know … in case you need someone to talk to."

She told him to take a few minutes to refresh himself, after which she would meet him in the lounge -- which thankfully also had a wet bar -- and tell him all that she knew about what he might want to know.

They never asked for his weapons or cell phone.

When Patrick came down to the lounge to meet with Penny, she wasn't alone. A tall, handsome looking man in an expensive suit caught sight of Patrick entering and shifted his drink to his left hand as he offered his right hand out.

"Robert Quince," he introduced himself, adding, "Senior Supervising Agent in Charge."

He hesitated a moment before adding, "In charge of what, you might ask. Well, the answer to that, Sergeant Kelly … if nothing. I'm in charge of nothing … yet! Which is why I'm here talking to you and Miss Parker."

"Patrick, you wanted our deal to go forth in a more legal way," Penny said as she walked toward him with the drink he'd ordered at Clancey's and then again later at Callahan's. She offered it out as she explained, "This is how we go forth … consummate our relationship."

"I've been authorized to assemble an Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, Sergeant Kelly," Robert reengaged. He chuckled, saying, "Actually, I was authorized to create this task force nine months ago … but … every time we got moving, we found that one or more of the Five Families--"

"Including the Parker Family," Penny interrupted. "Full transparency."

Robert smiled, nodded to her, and looked back to Patrick as he continued, "Including the Parker Family … had infiltrated our task force in one way or another. We got no where. But now … I think we might."

"I have promised Agent Quince my Family's full cooperation, Patrick," Penny said with a sincere tone. "The Parker Family is going legit' … and we are going to assist Agent Quince in cleaning up Capital City … just as I promised you."

"Miss Parker has told me that you are the only member of law enforcement in Capital City that she trusts," Robert told Patrick. He smiled and added, "She called you one good cop, if I recall."

Penny smiled. She took a step closer to Patrick, stopping just within arms reach but not quite into his personal space. Speaking to Robert but looking into Patrick's eyes, she verified, "He is, Agent Quince."

"Sergeant, here is what I need," Robert continued his pitch. "I need one good, honest cop … I need him to have a team that is just as good and honest … men that that one good cop can count on. He and they will work directly for me as temporary Federal Agents … outside the corruption of the CCPD. They will have anything and everything they need to do their jobs … money, information, weapons, surveillance gear, air support … anything."

Robert stepped closer to Patrick as Penny took the cop's glass to go freshen it up. He offered his hand out again, asking, "Are you that one good cop, Sergeant?"

 

[BeachBum25]

Patrick was shocked to find a duffel bag of his clothes in the room. She had really planned this out. He was still shook up about the shooting, and he was worried about his job. He showered and put on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before going down to meet Penny in the lounge.

Shocked to see someone else in the lounge with her, Patrick's heart sunk a little as he made an initial assumption that this was Penny's boyfriend/ lover, or other such connection. He was happy to hear that the guy was a SAIC. Patrick sipped his drink as he listened to Robert Quince. It was an interesting tale he told. One that Patrick was very interested in.

"If you know anything about me, and I am sure you have done your homework Agent Quince, you know I am that One Good Cop. If you are worth anything, you know my motivation and you know that I will stop at nothing to find out who killed my parents and to clean up Capital City."

As he talked to Quince, he maintained eye contact with Penny. Patrick listened to everything Quince had to say. He heard it all. "Sergeant, here is what I need,I need one good, honest cop … I need him to have a team that is just as good and honest … men that that one good cop can count on. He and they will work directly for me as temporary Federal Agents … outside the corruption of the CCPD. They will have anything and everything they need to do their jobs … money, information, weapons, surveillance gear, air support … anything."

Patrick handed his glass to Penny and turned to the SAIC, "Ms. Parker already told you that I am the One Good Cop. If she is my partner in this, you have to trust her. I would not be entering into this arrangement if I didn't trust her. I have a small team of men that I trust with my life. If you get them transferred to a federal detail, I will work with them."

Watching for Quince's reaction, Patrick looked into the agent's eyes. Quince assured him that he could get his teams transferred to a federal detail. Patrick gave Quince the names of the 8 men. "I will be staying here for the time being. When you get them transferred, you can contact me. In the meantime, Ms. Parker and I will discuss how we are going to consummate our deal." He had heard her use the word he used earlier. He wasn't sure if she used it intentionally, but he knew he did.... both times.

Quince and Patrick shook hands and said their goodbyes. Penny left the room briefly. When she returned she started talking before Patrick could say anything. She told him all about how her Capo's contact had found out about the hit being put on Patrick. She shared that she had ordered Connor to make sure the hit was unsuccessful. She shared with him everything that happened. She was an open book, and Patrick felt even more confident in them teaming up.

It was late. No, actually it was early the next morning. It was just the two of them in the lounge. "Penny, I can't thank you enough. You saved my life, and for that I am eternally grateful. I don't know if I could ever find the right way to thank you, but, since we will be working together, I will have opportunities to find the right way."

Patrick stepped toward Penny. He wanted to give her a kiss on the cheek to thank her for everything, but he flashed back to the way she reacted when he had his hands on his shoulders the other night. He thought about it more, and he decided to go for it. He placed a hand on her hip and kissed her cheek. "I owe you... big time."

He stepped back immediately. He did not want to offend his hostess. He found her extremely attractive, but was not sure what her thoughts were. He wanted to make sure that she knew that the kiss on the cheek was nothing more than a thank you.

 

[TooDamnCute4U]

Penny's heart began to speed up as Patrick closed on her, looking as if he was going to kiss her. She found herself in deep fear … for if he tried to put his mouth to hers, Penny knew she would wrap her arms around his neck and refused to let go of him until they were naked in her bed.

That was a bad idea, at least, for now … so she was relieved when he only leaned to one side and kissed her cheek. Still, a chill ran up her spine and her face flushed red. She smiled and looked briefly to the floor before looking back up and telling him, "I'm just … I'm just happy you're safe. And that we'll be working together."

Penny wanted so badly to move up against Patrick and wrap her arms around that muscular trunk of his, but she resisted. She took a half step to her side, called out to the guard who she knew was in the hallway, and told him, "Make sure our guest remembers the way to his room … and make sure he gets anything he needs."

Looking back to Patrick, Penny reluctantly ended the night with, "Sleep well, Patrick."

She curled out around him to depart … but allowed the hand nearest him to gently caress over his upper arm as she went. Upstairs, she stripped to shower, again putting her fingers to the sensitive folds between her thighs to find joy in a fantasy of being with her house guest.



The next morning Penny descended to find a lavish breakfast ready on the back patio near the pool. She was eager to simply sit with her guest and talk about their future together...

 

[BeachBum25]

He walked up the stairs to the bedroom that was going to be his for a while. As he got to the door, he looked down the hallway to where Penny had indicated her room was. He momentarily imagined quietly entering her room and slipping into bed with her. He then went into his room before the goon could notice him looking in that direction.

Sleep didn't come easily. His ribs hurt. Adrenaline was still running through his veins. When it subsided he would certainly crash. That was if he could get Penny off of his mind. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her. The first image he had was of her in that incredibly hot bathing suit she was wearing the day he showed up at the compound and told her off.... great move Patrick.

When he got frustrated with trying to sleep, he got up, took another shower and put on a pair of shorts and a clean t-shirt. He made his way downstairs, and looked around. He wished he hadn't torn the bandage off his ribs the night before, but it was too late for that. He could handle the pain.

He walked around and found his way to the back patio. He just wanted to sit out in the fresh air. He did not think penny would be awake yet. He was surprised to see her sitting at breakfast. He smiled when he saw her. Then made his way to the table.

"Good morning Ms. Parker. Mind if I join you?" He didn't wait for her to respond before pulling a chair out. He did, however, wait for her to respond before taking a seat at the table. He sat next to her and smiled. "Sleep well?"

He took a drink of water. "Would you mind if I swam a few laps in your pool before breakfast. It isn't that I don't want to join you for breakfast. It is just that I am restless and need to burn off some energy, and I think that would be the best way. Well, the best way that is available to me at the moment."

He watched her as he awaited her answer. Yes, he had another way to burn off that energy in mind. it had been on his mind all night, but he did not think that was available to him. "Of course, if that is a problem, I will deal with it."