Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE in Love: Act III, Pistols and Passion ❯ Chapter 2

Warnings and Disclaimers: Boo hoo! I don't own FAKE and I'm not Sanami Matoh. This is Yaoi kids, so watch out for hot boy on boy action. Sexy, sexy, sexy!

 

Ryo woke up and glanced at the clock, frowning slightly as he stretched and slid quietly out of Dee's arms. He smiled back at his slumbering partner and gently brushed some hair back from Dee's eyes, his touch tender and light. JJ was a ball in the other bed, a quiet snoring slipping free from him as he slept deeply, one pillow clamped in a strangle hold. Ryo chuckled slightly and dug around through his luggage, pulling out his work out clothes finally. He slid into the bathroom and quickly changed, glancing back at the two sleepers once more before he slipped out of the room and downstairs to the hotel's work out facilities.

 

Ryo jogged rapidly on the tread mill, his eyes set distantly on the wall in front of him, his breathing controlled and heavy as he moved. The room was strangely empty, and Ryo was a little surprised that in a hotel full of cops there wasn't one other person interested in a morning work out. As if in answer the door clicked open and an attractive red-headed woman entered, her eyes darting around and then lighting on Ryo.

 

“And here I thought I was going to have to wait in line.”

 

He laughed and she stretched a little before she climbed onto the treadmill next to him, her pace soon matching his own as they jogged along.

 

“You here for the cop convention?” she asked.

 

“Yes. You?”

 

“Oh yeah, me and my partner flew in from Colorado just for this.”

 

Ryo laughed again. “I live about twenty city blocks from here.”

 

“A local boy,” she said with a grin. “So then maybe you know this sharpshooter that everyone's so hot about, Randy MacLean…”

 

Ryo blushed a little, but with the running she couldn't have noticed.

 

“Um, that's me,” he said embarrassedly.

 

Her mouth dropped open and she turned to appraise him a little more.

 

“Really?”

 

Ryo nodded and smiled at her shyly. She chuckled.

 

“I'm Tonya Roe, nice to meet you Randy MacLean.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Tonya Roe.”

 

They both smiled again and then turned back to the wall, the silence not lasting long as they continued to jog and chit chat pleasantly. At last Ryo began to slow his pace and wiped some of the sweat off his face as he walked along for a few more minutes. He took a long drink of water and smiled at Tonya once more.

 

“Well, it was nice meeting you, and I'll see you around,” he said as he slung a towel around his shoulders.

 

“Yeah,” she said, still jogging along. “I'll be at your demonstration today. You want to get some drinks or something afterwards?”

 

“Uh…sorry, I already have plans.”

 

She sighed and shrugged. “Figures.”

 

 

“Because,” Ryo said flatly. “If I had said anything to you about getting in a morning work-out you would have probably thrown poor JJ out into the hallway.”

 

Dee grinned; Ryo knew him too well. He had woken up a little after Ryo had left, dismayed to find the bed empty and JJ still snoring nearby. Dee had smoked then, knowing that he was starting early that day, but not really caring, he decided he was nervous for Ryo. He really wanted things to go well for Ryo today, for everything to work out smoothly. His eyes drifted out the window and he smiled at the perfectly clear skies, apparently the rain that had been threatening last night had passed.

 

When JJ finally got up, Dee playing a small role as he cranked the volume on the morning news to almost unhealthy levels, he yawned and looked sleepily around a little. Then, his eyes locking on the clock, he had made a strangled squeaking sound and fled from the room, haphazardly yelling a `bye Mr. Wonderful,' over his shoulder.

 

Now Ryo had returned and Dee gently pulled at the ends of the towel draped around Ryo's neck, tugging him forward into a soft kiss.

 

“Well,” Dee said softly. “Since you're all sweaty anyway…”

 

Ryo blushed darkly and ducked out of the towel's hold, picking up his carefully pressed and packaged suit as he walked into the bathroom.

 

“Sorry,” he said, his face red. “I need to shower.”

 

Dee started to offer to help, but the door shut, the lock sliding into place. Dee sighed resignedly. Ryo wasn't in the mood to play, and pushing would only make him more flustered. It would have to wait. Dee grinned happily up at the skies; if everything went well today, he would bet money that everything would go well tonight.

 

 

 

The shooting range designated for the sharp shooting demonstration had been rigged with improvised theater seating. Ryo and JJ both nervously watched as it first filled and then over filled, and then became packed with people milling around it.

 

“Looks like this is a popular one,” Diana said as she stepped to Ryo's side.

 

She lightly kissed his cheek and smiled at the grimace on his face.

 

“Calm down, handsome, you'll be fine.”

 

“Thanks,” Ryo whispered.

 

Dee pressed a hand lightly to his partner's lower back, careful not to do anything else with so many people nearby. That was the last thing Ryo needed, it would probably push him over the edge. Dee smiled at him softly, his voice barely audible.

 

“Good luck Ryo.”

 

JJ glanced at his watch and nodded sickly to Ryo, his hands shaking a little as he held his rifle. Ryo sighed and loaded a blank cartridge into his gun, his eyes sweeping over the crowd as they blandly ignored the two men that stepped to the field in the center of the seating. Ryo shook his head with annoyance and raised the gun to his shoulder, aiming the barrel into the air and firing off the blank.

 

There was a startled cry from the audience and then a thick silence spread out as they finally took their seats or at least stilled themselves where they stood.

 

“Good morning,” Ryo said, his warm voice showing none of the terror that he felt. “Welcome to Sharp shooting. I'm Randy MacLean and this is JJ Adams, we're both with the 27th Precinct here in New York City. Sorry about the shot, but if there's something that gets cops' attention faster than gunfire, I don't know what it is.”

 

There was a quiet laughter and a few suggestions thrown out, Ryo chuckling quietly.

 

“You'll have to let us know if you can't hear us. Being in the great outdoors, we've been denied the benefits of a sound system, so just yell if I need to talk louder.”

 

JJ stared at Ryo with surprise and relief. He had been afraid that both of them would simply freeze up and stand there in silence as the crowd stubbornly ignored them or talked over them. Ryo, however, with his warm open attitude and bright smile already had them interested and was calmly outlining the program that he and JJ had worked out over the last couple of weeks. At last he smiled at JJ and the shorter man took a deep breath and started to speak.

 

 

They covered the basics easily, each speaking clearly and giving simple explanations that illustrated their points well. They told some stories, a few humorous, a couple tragic, and kept things moving along. Each held up their rifle and spoke about it a little, Ryo having a hard time not grinning as he bragged about his gun, lovingly showing every piece and explaining its purpose. They talked about safety and knowing what you were doing, and about the training that each had gone through.

 

At last they moved on to a question and answer portion, and both were overwhelmed by the response they got. They moved easily through the questions, each fielding an answer and taking the next question. Someone from the convention board finally broke things up, citing the fact that the other events back at the hotel were already running twenty minutes late since some of the presenters had chosen to remain at the range. Ryo blushed hotly at that, a little embarrassed, but also pleased.

 

“Don't forget to come back tomorrow,” JJ said. “Ryo and I will be showing off some of the skills we've discussed today in a friendly competition. And yes, we are taking bets.”

 

There was a happy chuckle and a long round of applause and the crowd slowly began to break up, many coming over to speak to JJ and Ryo a little more.

 

Dee grinned happily and shook his head. Yup, things had definitely gone well today, Ryo looked so happy. He sighed and lit a cigarette as he stood back and let Ryo have his moment, waiting patiently for the crowds to clear and Ryo to pack up the rest of his equipment. He watched as a pretty woman with red hair lightly brushed her fingers against Ryo's arm, smiling at him and trying to look enticing as she spoke. Dee almost snorted with laughter as he imagined the oblivious smile that Ryo was probably flashing her right now. He watched as Ryo shook his head and shrugged and the woman frowned with disappointment. Ryo said something else and she nodded before smiling at him again and retreating.

 

Dee came over to pick up a couple of the bags for Ryo and his pale lover grinned at him. Dee chuckled and shook his head.

 

“Someone's in a good mood.”

 

Ryo nodded and then blushed a little, causing Dee to grin with excitement. He knew what that blush meant; Ryo was thinking something that would be very enticing to Dee. He suddenly wished that he could find some way to make Ryo voice it, but the thought of Sexy talking dirty to him was enough for him to snort with laughter again. Ryo glanced at him curiously and Dee shook his head.

 

“Nothing,” he said, the wolfish grin sliding back into place. “You want to celebrate?”

 

The blush darkened, Ryo's face vibrantly red now as they walked towards the car. He smiled a little at Dee and started to say something when both were suddenly thrown off their feet. They slammed hard into the pavement as a rush of hot air passed over them, a huge boom echoing loudly in their ears. A tire slammed to the ground between them and Ryo cried out as something else, the remains of a mirror perhaps, bounced hard into the side of his face. He pressed a cold hand against his cheek, his eye watering a little as he sat up, Dee rubbing at his ears as he slowly got to his feet, both looking around.

 

“Is everyone okay?” a voice called. “Is anyone hurt?”

 

“Oh my God!” someone else yelled. “Officer down! Officer down!”

 

Dee and Ryo were up and running, the cops that had been milling around boredly a moment before now moving with purpose and intent. They were efficient, someone producing a fire extinguisher to keep the blazing carcass of a car under control until the fire department could arrive. A few first aide kits magically appeared and they started slapping bandages on anyone that was bleeding. An EMT who had been practicing at the range for an upcoming hunting trip took charge of those that were seriously injured. Everyone reacted just as they had been trained to, coolly taking control and acting without hesitation.

 

“Ryo! Dee!”

 

Diana waved them over and both jogged to her, Ryo still blinking a little as a dark bruise fanned out around his right eye. They skidded to a halt, Dee's breath catching as they saw JJ laying on the ground, a twisted metal pipe jammed into his upper thigh.

 

“Jesus, JJ,” Dee whispered.

 

JJ's teeth were gritted together and Dee held a hand out, the small man immediately gripping it tight enough to make Dee bite back on a grunt of pain. The EMT packed a few bandages around the bleeding wound and then sat back.

 

“The ambulance is on the way, stay as still as you can. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to remove that pipe,” his eyes flashed around the circle of concerned faces that hovered around JJ. “I am not fucking kidding, don't touch the damn pipe.”

 

“We get it,” Dee snapped.

 

The EMT frowned at them once more, a warning in his eyes, and he turned to Ryo.

 

“Let me look at your eye.”

 

Ryo nodded and sat still as the EMT peered into it, pressing the darkening bruise and causing Ryo to wince a little. Dee watched apprehensively, but didn't try to pull away from JJ. The EMT sighed finally and patted Ryo on the shoulder.

 

“Just a black eye. Ice it and the swelling should go down. You're going to have a pretty nice one if this initial coloring is any indication.”

 

Ryo nodded and thanked him. The EMT let out a long blast of air and then sprang back to his feet and headed out, a couple of officers trailing after to help him if he needed it. Ryo squatted down and smiled at JJ.

 

“You okay, JJ?”

 

“Pipe,” JJ panted.

 

Ryo nodded. “Don't worry, you're going to be fine. You aren't going to get out of our contest on a technicality.”

 

JJ half grinned half grimaced and snorted a weak laugh.

 

“Still going…to…kick your…ass.”

 

Ryo smiled and nodded. “You can try.”

 

“I…don't…try.”

 

“You try my patience,” Dee said and dug in his pocket, his hand still gripping JJ's.

 

He pulled out a cigarette and deftly lit it, his face wrenching a little as JJ's hold tightened again.

 

“Still okay, JJ?” he said around the cigarette.

 

“You…smoke too…much.”

 

“You did that because I lit a cigarette?” Dee said irritably.

 

JJ gave them another of the half smiles and Dee cursed loudly.

 

“You annoying little shit.”

 

The sound of a couple of ambulances suddenly began to cut through the air and Dee clicked his tongue.

 

“That was a pretty damn fast response time.”

 

“They don't like it when cops get hit,” Ryo said softly.

 

A moment of silence stretched out around them, each frowning a little as they thought. Ryo finally pushed the darkness aside and smiled back at JJ.

 

“Looks like you get to go for an ambulance ride,” he said finally.

 

“Yip…fucking…eee,” JJ panted.

 

Dee laughed loudly and took a long pull on the cigarette, ignoring the annoyance that flashed over JJ's face. Rose suddenly loomed over them, his eyes sweeping across them.

 

“Are you all alright?”

 

“JJ has a pipe in his leg, sir,” Dee said flatly.

 

Rose blinked and knelt down. “You okay Adams?”

 

“Pipe,” JJ answered again.

 

Rose's mouth thinned and he glanced up as the ambulance backed towards them, their EMT riding dangerously on the bumper as he directed it to the small group. He jumped off before the ambulance stopped and gave them a wry smile.

 

“I see no one decided to be stupid,” he said flatly.

 

“We were waiting for you to come back,” Dee answered. “Get him to the fucking hospital you crazy shit.”

 

The EMT laughed loudly and they loaded JJ up fast. JJ waved at them a little before the doors slammed closed and the ambulance careened out of sight.

 

“Damn,” the Emergency Tech sighed heavily. “Busy day off for me.”

 

“It's going to be busier for us,” Dee said flatly.

 

The wreckage of the bombed car smoked hotly, a few flames still flickering over it as they stared at it now. Dee shook his head angrily and lit another cigarette.

 

It was going to be a long fucking day.

 

 

 

“Whose car was it?” Dee said as he and Ryo sat down in Rose's office, the Commissioner tiredly lowering himself behind his desk.

 

“No one's, a rental that had been stolen off a lot last week,” he answered. “It was parked there and loaded with explosives. Someone was waiting nearby to trigger it, CSI found the remains of the radio detonator.”

 

Dee bit back on a curse, his eyes narrowing angrily. This was going to get messy. If the car had belonged to someone specific it would have been easier to narrow down both who the target was and who the potential bomber was. However, with a random junk heap the bomb site, and most of the cops from out of state, there was no way of telling who the explosion had been meant for or where to start. Dee sighed irritably.

 

There were too many people that hated cops.

 

Ryo leaned back in his chair a little bit, an ice bag pressed lightly to his eye as he thought. He had had black eyes before, but this one…damn. The bruise covered almost half of his face and faded away in long yellow green tendrils. His eye hurt, and he just wanted to go home for a while and take some aspirin.

 

“I'm turning this investigation over to the State Police,” Rose said flatly.

 

“What?” Dee snapped. “That's bullshit!”

 

Rose stared at him coldly.

 

“So then you hate Detective Adams?”

 

Dee blinked and frowned.

 

“What the fuck, you asshole? Of course I don't hate JJ.”

 

“Then you shouldn't be a part of this investigation,” Rose said with a sigh. “You're too emotional. Everyone here is, there's no one that doesn't like that hyperactive…” he sighed again and shook his head. “You are not to get involved, and I mean it this time, I don't want to hear a whisper about the two of you doing any investigating. Are we clear?”

 

Dee grunted irritably and Ryo's mouth thinned.

 

“Yes sir,” he said finally. “You have our word.”

 

 

“Fuck,” Dee snapped angrily. “If I hate anyone, it's that dick!”

 

Ryo sighed, the ice still pressed to his face as he walked.

 

“You know he's right, though.”

 

“That doesn't matter,” Dee said irritably. “Jesus, what a prick!”

 

Ryo didn't say a word. Dee was upset, worried about JJ, and Rose was a prime target for him to take out his emotional energy on. Ryo knew that Dee wouldn't really feel better about anything until the case had been solved, but after raging for a while he'd certainly be calmer.

 

“I can't believe he's being so fucking calm about this! And the State Police! He just wants to use them because he used to fucking work with them! What a bastard!”

 

The car doors slammed sharply shut and Ryo leaned back in his seat, a headache beginning to form in his temples. The yelling next to him certainly wasn't helping. He reclined the seat a little and shifted the ice, allowing it to cover more of his face as he closed his other eye and listened to the car start.

 

“What a prick!” Dee snapped again.

 

“Go back to the apartment,” Ryo said tiredly.

 

“What? Why?”

 

“I want to check in on Bikky,” Ryo answered. “He'll probably have heard about this and I don't want him to worry.”

 

“Yeah, alright,” Dee said gruffly, pausing a moment before he launched back into his tirade. “You want to know what else I hate about him?”

 

 

Dee unlocked the door and smiled weakly at Ryo. He felt a little bad now about all the noise he had been making on the ride over here, a wary tiredness was apparent on Ryo's face. He stepped inside, Ryo following, and then both froze.

 

The usually neat apartment was in shambles. The furniture had been flipped over, papers were scattered everywhere, the couch cushions had been slit open and batting was strewn all around the room. Crushed dishes covered the floor and all the lights had been broken. Ryo blinked, the ice bag dropping away from his face as he looked around and then gasped for air.

 

“Bikky,” he breathed.

 

Ryo raced through the apartment, opening every door, peering into every room, his hands shaking a little as he searched. Every room had been decimated, everything had been rifled through and broken, but at that moment Ryo didn't care. He had to find Bikky.

 

He came back into the living room and stared at Dee. The dark haired detective shook his head and Ryo's mouth thinned. Bikky wasn't here, but that didn't calm him any. He hadn't seen any signs of blood, but there could have been any kind of struggle here and he wouldn't be able to tell. His hands clenched into fists and his mouth thinned as he struggled to keep himself under control. He needed to stay calm.

 

“Holy shit!”

 

Dee and Ryo both spun around as Bikky peered in through the door, his eyes wide as he stepped inside. Ryo raced across the room and flung his arms around Bikky, hugging the boy close, his hands shaking a little with relief.

 

“Thank God you're alright,” Ryo breathed.

 

Bikky blinked and lightly rested his own hands on Ryo's back, his eyes still racing over the broken room. Finally Ryo released him and smiled at Bikky.

 

“You are alright, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Bikky answered. “I'm fine. I spent the night at Carol's last night. Jesus Ryo what happened to your eye? And why in the hell don't either of you have your cell phones on? I've been trying to call you all day! Somebody planted a car bomb at some cop meeting!”

 

“We know,” Ryo said. “We were there.”

 

Bikky's mouth thinned and he stared at Ryo, quickly masking his concern with anger.

 

“And you didn't call me sooner to let me know you were okay? What the hell Ryo?”

 

“Sorry,” Ryo answered with an apologetic smile. “We got kind of busy afterwards. Go pack a bag, Bikky, you can stay with us at the hotel tonight.”

 

Dee's mouth thinned a little, but it was more out of habit than actual irritation. Ryo was right, Bikky couldn't stay here tonight, and both would rather have him safe in a hotel full of cops than wandering the streets on his own. Dee sighed and pulled out his cell phone, chuckling a little as he turned it on and the screen flashed that he had missed sixteen calls. Bikky really must have been worried. He lightly dialed and then raised the phone to his ear, his eyes skidding across the destruction again.

 

“Dispatch, this is Detective Laytner, I need to report a B and E…”

 

 

Bikky was sleeping soundly in the bed next to them, his energy finally gone after running all but rampant through the hotel. He had jumped on the beds, cannon balled into the pool with his clothes still on, and ridden the elevators enough that Ryo was threatening to ban him from them and confine him to the stairs. Ryo smiled slightly as he pulled the blankets up a little more around the boy. He could remember being Bikky's age and the excitement that a hotel stay meant. It was something new, something different and fun, and while Bikky's behavior did annoy him, he couldn't really blame the boy for wanting to have some fun.

 

He climbed into the other bed, Dee tossing aside the magazine he had been flipping through and turning off the light. Dee wrapped his arms around Ryo and pulled him close, breathing in his warm thick scent. Ryo sighed and lightly toyed with one of Dee's hands, gently running his fingers up and down the soft skin.

 

“Love you Dee,” he said softly.

 

“Love you Ryo,” Dee answered with a soft kiss on his cheek.

 

Both closed their eyes, each feeling a slight pang of disappointment that this was how they were going to spend their night. The day had started out so well, but things had gone downhill fast. The cops had quickly cordoned off Ryo's apartment and started snapping pictures, taking the three statements before knocking on the neighbor's doors. There was no way of telling when the place had been ransacked, and almost no way to know why it had happened. Ryo sighed quietly; this wasn't how he had planned this day going.

 

It was nice to lie in Dee's arms, to feel warm and safe and loved, but still…He blushed hotly and was suddenly glad that Dee had shut the lights off. He couldn't help but still become flushed and excited every time Dee touched him, and he really had been looking forward to a night alone with him. Unfortunately it didn't look like that was going to happen anytime soon.

 

The phone rang shrilly and Dee grunted as he jerked out of a light doze, his eyes blinking groggily as he rolled over and picked it up.

 

“Hello?” he muttered.

 

“DEE!”

 

Dee wrenched the phone away from his ear and grimaced with irritation.

 

“Dammit, JJ, don't yell into the phone!”

 

“Sorry Stud,” JJ chuckled. “Hey, can you and Ryo pick me up from the hospital tomorrow before you head over to the range?”

 

“They're actually going to let you out for that?”

 

“It's just a flesh wound,” JJ said dismissively. “Besides, the power of your love will heal me faster than anything in this hospital ever could!”

 

Dee blinked and shook his head.

 

“You enjoying those drugs, JJ?”

 

“Oh yes, very much so.”

 

“Is it safe for you to be wielding a gun when you're on them?”

 

JJ laughed loudly. “I'm fine, I'm fine.”

 

“Yeah, well, there might not be a reason for me and Ryo to go out to the range tomorrow,” Dee said. “The head committee here is trying to decide if the second half of your demonstration should be cancelled or not.”

 

“WHAT?!”

 

Dee wrenched the phone away from his ear again, his mouth a thin line.

 

“JJ…”

 

“Sorry, sorry. They can't do that! Ryo and I worked too hard for them to just cancel it. You tell them no, Mr. Wonderful, you make them make the right decision.”

 

Dee frowned. “Uh, yeah, whatever. Look, we'll call you as soon as we know anything, and I guess we'll come to get you either way.”

 

“Really?” JJ squealed. “Thanks Senpai. Good night!”

 

“Yeah, good night,” Dee said and hung up.

 

He felt Ryo chuckle quietly against him and Dee sighed. His arm slid back over Ryo and he burrowed back down into the warm blankets.

 

The phone rang again.

 

“God dammit,” Dee grunted and picked the phone up angrily. “What now?”

 

“Dee?”

 

“Yeah. Hey Drake, what's up?”

 

“I just was checking in at work when I heard about Ryo's place. You guys okay?”

 

“Yeah, we're fine. Ryo's insured.”

 

“Good,” he paused for an instant and then sighed. “Somebody hit Diana's hotel room too.”

 

 

It took Bikky all of twenty minutes the next morning to find a gang of kids to run off with. He waved back at Ryo as he disappeared, a few of the cops chuckling lightly as they barreled out into the hotel, their voices rising as they yelled back and forth.

 

Diana smiled and turned to Dee and Ryo.

 

“So how have you boys been?”

 

Dee snorted lightly and Ryo frowned at her. She chuckled and Drake lightly ran a through his hair as she sipped at her coffee. Rose frowned and sighed.

 

“Diana, I assume you had a reason for asking us all to meet here, could you just get to the point?”

 

“Oh Berkeley,” she sighed. “You're so impatient, but you all must have guessed, right? What do we have in common that would make someone want to ransack us?”

 

“We all know Rose,” Dee said flatly. “He pisses off a lot of people.”

 

Rose glared at him darkly and Ryo sighed.

 

“Martin,” he said and Diana beamed.

 

“As always Ryo, you're so intuitive.”

 

Ryo shrugged and gently rested his head in his hand, his coffee cooling a little as he slowly stirred it. Martin MacLean, anticipated heir to the MacLean family, and Ryo's cousin. He sighed and glanced back up at Diana.

 

“Did you find anything on him?”

 

“No,” she said and then frowned sharply. “And my file on him disappeared with whoever ripped the shit out of my room.”

 

“Damn,” Dee said. “Now what?”

 

“I called the bureau, they're going to send me a copy of all my paperwork,” she said. “Whoever wrecked the place was obviously stupid enough to believe that I would bring the originals with me.”

 

“What do you think this all means?” Rose said staring at Diana, knowing that she already had a theory in place; the woman hadn't become one of the FBI's top agents because of her stunning looks.

 

“I think it's a timing play,” she said, her voice cool and calm. “Something big is coming up, and Martin, or someone connected to one of his associates, is trying to cover all their bases. They wanted to know how much we knew about them, so they made sure to get their hands on our information. We need to start looking harder, press things further to figure out what is going to happen and how soon.”

 

Dee nodded slightly and then sighed. “You think that explosion yesterday is related?”

 

“I don't know,” Diana said. “It could just be a coincidence.”

 

“Cops aren't supposed to believe in coincidences,” Dee said flatly.

 

“Yeah,” Drake said. “They're pretty damn rare.”

 

Rose started to say something, but he was interrupted as Tonya Roe suddenly hovered over their table.

 

“Diana?” she said with pleased surprise. “I haven't seen you in forever!”

 

Diana laughed and stood up, lightly hugging the red head as they quickly chattered, both smiling and laughing. Dee rolled his eyes and turned to stare at Ryo, his eyes carefully tracing over the dark bruise that spanned Ryo's face.

 

“You know, maybe it's time we quit the force,” Dee said quietly.

 

Rose and Ryo both looked at him with open surprise and Dee shrugged.

 

“Well think about it. When we first started working together we definitely didn't have luck like this. We've lost our touch.”

 

“Yeah,” Ryo said and then his voice was tinged with sarcasm. “Because we never got shot, or almost blown up, or beaten up by drug lords, or attacked by a psycho with a knife, or anything like that before now.”

 

Dee frowned irritably at him and then chuckled.

 

“Yeah, I guess you're right, our shitty luck is just holding, not getting worse.”

 

Ryo grunted and picked up his coffee again, trying to ignore the pleased smile that danced across Rose's face. He still wasn't comfortable with the Commissioner around, and while Rose was acting as though nothing had happened between them, Ryo felt even more nervous now than he ever had before.

 

“But anyway,” Tonya said finally and turned to face the rest of the table. “Detective MacLean, the panel is looking for you, they say they've got something to discuss with you.”

 

“They must have made their decision about the demonstration,” Ryo said and stood up. “Where are they meeting today?”

 

“Oh, I'll take you,” Tonya said with a warm smile and quickly slid an arm into Ryo's. “I'll see you later Diana!”

 

“Bye Tonya!” Diana grinned and shook her head.

 

Dee lit a cigarette as he irritably watched Tonya lead Ryo away, the brown haired man absently nodding as she chattered at him. Dee frowned and glanced over at Diana.

 

“She moves fast, doesn't she?” he said around the cigarette.

 

“Worried?” Diana said coyly.

 

Dee shook his head. “No, Ryo can handle himself.”

 

Rose's mouth thinned but he didn't say anything. He still remembered the soft taste of Ryo's lips, three stolen kisses that had all ended painfully for him. The taste was addictive, he was certain of it, and even now, knowing that either Laytner or Ryo would beat him to death for it, he desired a forth shot. He sighed heavily and thought back, remembering when he had conceded defeat to Diana. He really had thought he meant it, but Ryo was just so…Ryo.

 

Dee frowned at him sharply, as if knowing the man's thoughts and Rose smiled at him.

 

“Problem Detective?”

 

“No sir,” Dee said. “Not at the moment anyway.”