Rachel had gone home to get ready for work and Stevie had finished unloading and cleaning up after the day of riding. It had been a lot of fun and she had a lot to think about, but first, she needed dinner. The guys had devoured her chicken at the park, so she was looking for something to make from scratch.

She was looking at a pound of hamburger with no idea what to do with it when there was a knock at her front door. Hoping it was Rachel, she was quick to open it. Her mother was standing there. "Mom?"

"Hi, Stevie. I was hoping we could talk."

"Sure." It occurred to her that her mother had never been in her house. "Come on in. Make yourself at home."

Helen Marks walked inside with curious eyes.

"It's not much," Stevie said nervously, "but it's home."

"Actually," her mother said carefully, "it looks very comfortable. And clean."

Stevie was speechless for a moment and then she brushed imaginary sweat from her forehead. "Shew!"

Her mother laughed.

Stevie laughed with her. "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"I'm trying to figure out what to do with a pound of hamburger. If you help, I'll share."

Her mother took off her coat and left it in a chair. "Let's see what you have."

It was like old times only way, way better. They made meatballs to go with green beans and an Alfredo pasta type dish. Stevie had enough sorbet for an after dinner treat and they cleaned up the kitchen together. When they were all done, Stevie hugged her mother close. "Thanks, Mom."

"I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner."

"No regrets, okay? Let's just go on from here."

"Alright, sweetheart. Show me the rest of your house?"

"Sure."

When they got to her bedroom, Stevie's mother stood in the doorway for several minutes. "Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"You're never going to impress a girl if this is what you offer as an intimate retreat."

Stevie was flabbergasted. She was embarrassed that her mother had used the word 'intimate', but her mother was giving her advice about girls, too. Everything in the world had just gone wonky.

"I don't mean to criticize, honey, but this looks like Rory's bedroom. You've got a motocross bedspread. Sheets, too?"

Stevie blushed. "Buzz Lightyear."

"You can't be serious."

Her blush deepened as her mother pulled back the bedspread to expose the sheets. "They were on sale."

Her mom sat down on the bed and beckoned Stevie to join her. She waited until Stevie sat down. "I know that these are the things that you love: motocross, animated films, computers, and comics."

"Graphic novels."

"Right. You should be able to keep the things you like, but in a room you intend to share…to make love in…you need to be more…neutral. It doesn't have to be frilly and feminine, but it does have to feel comfortable. If you were interested in men, this room would be a dream come true for them, but I doubt you're going to find a woman who thinks this is…romantic."

Stevie stared at her mother in shock. "Who are you?"

"I don't understand your attraction to women, but I've been doing a lot of thinking and I no longer think it's a phase. I think it's the way your heart works and that you don't have a choice. No more than I do, at any rate. All I have ever dreamed for you is to be happy. If a woman is what you need, then I hope you find her."

Tears filled Stevie's eyes. "It means a lot to me that you would say that, Mom."

"All this time I've been manipulative and dismissive, and you kept coming back and giving me another chance. Most people would have given up, but not you. I can't tell you how blessed that makes me feel. I may not be totally at ease yet, but I want you to know that I won't sacrifice you to my faith anymore."

Stevie lost it. She'd been waiting so long to feel loved and wanted. To have it given so freely and after such a great evening…she put her head on her mother's shoulder and cried. When she lifted her head, she saw tears on her mother's face. Stevie went to the bathroom and came back with toilet paper. "Look at us. We're a mess."

"True." Helen wiped her face and looked around the room again. "Will you let me help you redecorate this room?"

Stevie was all for it, but she had to set some ground rules right off the bat. "No frillies, no flowers, and no pink girlie stuff."

Her mother laughed. "I think we can come up with something you like."

***

It was very busy at the club on Saturday night, but Rachel watched the staff as best she could. No one was dropping visual clues that they knew what she'd done the night before. Except for Tom, that is. He would have been briefed on her report and he watched her darkly all night. Rachel would have thought he'd be thrilled that she'd been approached so quickly, but he looked like he wanted to throttle her. Tom never had anything good to say about how she was handling things.

Rachel was relieved when there was nothing unusual in her locker after work. Even with naps, she was exhausted from trying to accommodate the morning people in her life. She had an early date with Leona to go treasure. If she went home and straight to bed, she might fit in five hours of sleep. A nap would definitely be in order after spending the morning with Leona.

Maybe she would even be able to say hello to Stevie at some point. The thought of a few sweet kisses was delicious. Irresponsible, but delicious, nonetheless.

She was walking to her car when Tom intercepted her. His grip on her arm was painful and she tried to pull away. "You're going to leave bruises," she hissed. "I work naked, in case you forgot."

Tom shoved her up against her car and let go. "You didn't signal me last night. You walked into a dangerous situation without back-up. I didn't think you were that stupid."

Several excuses came to mind, but they were just excuses. Rachel shoved him back a step and glanced around the empty parking lot. "You want the truth, Detective? I don't trust you. You've made it clear that the case is more important to you than my well-being. You'll never say it out loud, but if closing this case means sacrificing me, you won't lose any sleep over it."

Tom looked confused and angry. "That's not true."

"Bullshit. You can tell yourself that you've got my back, but you've done nothing to demonstrate it. You treat me like an enemy and I don't expect any aid from you if the shit hits the fan. You'll be too busy busting the bad guys to worry about me. I'm on my own, Tom, so stop giving me shit when I don't do things the way you want me to. And by the way, the next time you grab me like that I'll turn your nuts into a necklace."

Rachel left him standing there and drove away. She was certain he would report their conversation. It might come to pass in the next day or so that she would be taken off the case. If that happened, so be it. If they called her in to talk about it, she would tell them the truth as she saw it and let the chips fall where they would.

***

Stevie couldn't figure out where to put her computer. The racing trophies and posters were now in the garage. Her old bedding had been washed and was now in a bag waiting to go to Rory. Her graphic novels were in a box and she thought she might take them to work. She wasn't sure what she would do with them there, but they couldn't stay in her bedroom. All she had to figure out now was what to do with her computer and programming books. It wasn't like she had a second bedroom she could turn into an office. She had originally put it in the bedroom to keep the living room looking nice.

Stevie walked around her small house trying to imagine a different configuration that would look good. She liked how the living room and dining room were set up and didn't really want to change it.

The ideal solution would be to have another room. It might be possible to get a permit to add onto the back of the house. Some sort of sunroom would be nice. She could put the computer on one end and a couple of chairs for relaxing on the other. She would have to look into that and find out what it would cost. It wasn't, however, going to solve her immediate problem.

Stevie absently answered a knock on the door and broke into a smile. "Rachel!"

Rachel stepped inside, kicked the door shut with her foot and pulled Stevie into a kiss.

Stevie was utterly overwhelmed. The surprise of seeing Rachel and having that gorgeous body pressed up against her two seconds later was like being hit by lightning. Stevie kissed Rachel back with complete abandon.

Both of them were breathless when the kiss ended. Stevie rested her forehead against Rachel's with a smile. "Hi there."

"I've been thinking about that since last night," Rachel sighed.

Stevie put her arms around Rachel and held her. Their bodies fit like peanut butter and jelly. "You've been thinking about me since last night?"

"Yes."

"I've been thinking about you, too."

"You have?"

"Yep. Mom came over last night and offered to help me redecorate my bedroom. She thinks I'll never have a girlfriend if I don't have a nice room."

Rachel pulled her head back and looked at her with wide eyes. "Your mom wants you to have a girlfriend?"

"We've been making progress," Stevie said. "I think it's because of what you said about giving them equal time. I told my mom that last Sunday and she's been going to P-FLAG meetings since. She says she still doesn't understand me, but she's really trying to be cool about it. Last night was the first time she'd ever been to my house."

"That's awesome, Stevie. I'm happy for you."

"Dad hasn't come around yet," Stevie added, "but I think Mom will work on him. It's only a matter of time."

"So," Rachel said with a grin, "where did I fit into that?"

"The redecorating, of course. I'm re-feathering my nest in the hope of attracting a beautiful mate. It's only natural I thought of you."

Rachel laughed. "I see."

"Mom also helped me buy new un…" Stevie froze. She couldn't believe she was just going to blurt it out like that.

"New what?"

"Uh…bedding."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You aren't very good at lying."

Stevie was mortified. "Well, I don't do it a lot. It's just…I had second thoughts about what I was going to say."

Rachel had a teasing grin. "I think I can guess what you were going to say."

Stevie's face burned as Rachel tried to peek at her bra. "I gotta learn to keep my mouth shut."

"I hope you don't." Rachel was still smiling, but she stopped pulling at Stevie's clothes. "If you can't lie, it makes me trust you more. And I really like the way you blush. I know it's probably embarrassing for you, but it makes me feel all…lovey."

Stevie found that curious. "Lovey?"

"Yeah." Rachel stepped back but hung onto Stevie's hand. "Show me your bedroom?"

"It's still a mess," Stevie protested.

"Just so you know…when you're kissing me, I'm blind as a bat."

Stevie laughed. "Alright. Maybe you can help me figure out what to do with my computer." Stevie re-evaluated that possibility when she looked into Rachel's avid green eyes. "Or not."

***

Mrs. Hennessy was thrilled with the new computer Stevie set up for her, but she clearly knew nothing about how to operate it. Fortunately, Stevie had prepared for that. She had instructional discs and handmade flip charts to teach Mrs. Hennessey how to operate the computer and several programs. She also put labels on all the parts. If you didn't know what the basic parts were called, you weren't going to get anywhere.

Stevie left work early on Tuesday and spent several hours getting Mrs. Hennessey online and teaching her the basics. Stevie was pleasantly surprised by Mrs. Hennessey's quick grasp of the details. After the first hour, Stevie concentrated on teaching her how to protect herself online.

She waited until Mrs. Hennessey turned off the computer to bring up the Atari system. Stevie showed her a list of what had been in the box. "The deck and these games are what I propose as a trade for this computer system."

Mrs. Hennessey pointed to the short list at the bottom. "But not these?"

"These particular games are worth a lot of money, Mrs. Hennessey. What I'd like to do is put them up for auction and sell them…if that's alright with you, of course."

Mrs. Hennessey looked surprised. "How much are they worth?"

Stevie pointed to a specific title. "I can sell that one today for ten grand. With a little work, I think I might be able to get fifteen. It's brand new and still in the original shrink wrap. I doubt there's another one like it on the planet. All of these games together could bring as much as forty or fifty thousand."

"That can't be right," Mrs. Hennessy protested.

"I assure you that it is possible. Now, I might only get thirty, but I think we can do better. As far as I'm concerned, they belong to you, so if you'd rather have someone else handle selling them, I'm totally okay with that. If you want to think about it for a couple of days, that's good too. The games are in my safe at work and I can go get them for you whenever you want."

Mrs. Hennessy looked a little frail at the news and Stevie was a bit worried. "Can I get you something to drink? Do you need to lie down?"

Mrs. Hennessy started to laugh, and she held her stomach as she rocked back and forth. She tried to talk a couple of times, but she was laughing too hard.

Stevie couldn't help smiling at Mrs. Hennessey's laughter. It was contagious. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

"I never thought…it's too good to be true!"

It was very satisfying to be able to assure her of the truth. "It's true, Mrs. Hennessey. On my honor, it's all true."

Mrs. Hennessy reached out and grabbed Stevie's arm in a strong grip. "We should split it. Fifty, fifty."

It was awfully tempting, but Stevie said no.

Mrs. Hennessy was shaking her head. "It wasn't worth anything sitting in my shed. You're the one who realized what it was worth. A lesser person would have said thanks and I never would have known what I'd given away. At least take twenty-five percent. Please?"

It wasn't that Stevie didn't want the money. She just couldn't get it out of her head that Mrs. Hennessey was on a fixed income. This windfall might be the last one Mrs. Hennessey would ever get. It could make a world of difference for her. Stevie had lots of options to make money, so it just didn't feel right to take a bunch of Mrs. Hennessey's money. "Sorry. If you want to find someone who will take your money, go for it. I'm sure you'll have no problem."

Mrs. Hennessy patted Stevie's leg. "They just don't make people like you anymore. You're a treasure, Stevie."

"So are you, Mrs. Hennessey." Stevie gave her a one-armed hug and then added, "This is going to take a month or two. I'll keep you up to date and if you change your mind about anything, you tell me right away. I'd be happy to have a lawyer draw up papers about this if you like."

"No. I trust you." Mrs. Hennessy stood up. "Would you like some iced tea?"

"The red stuff?" Stevie asked eagerly.

"Coming right up," Mrs. Hennessy laughed.

"Oh, hey. I wanted to ask you something." Stevie followed Mrs. Hennessey into the kitchen. "I have a date with Rachel tomorrow night, and I was wondering if you knew what her favorite kind of food was. I want it to be perfect, but I don't know what she likes to eat."

"A date?"

Stevie paused. She'd forgotten that Mrs. Hennessey might not know she was gay. Rachel had said that there had been a gay son, but that didn't mean Mrs. Hennessey would be cool with helping to plan a lesbian date.

A big smile broke out on Mrs. Hennessy's face. "Of course! You two would look so good together. You're not going to wear those jeans, are you?"

She sounded so much like her mother that it cracked Stevie up.

***

There was a different address on the package this time and it didn't feel like rice. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up and Rachel had to concentrate on acting normally.

"What's wrong?"

Rachel turned her head to look at Tawny. "Nothing. Just trying to decide what to do."

"Put your clothes on and go home. It's not complicated."

"I'm trying to decide if I should go shopping for breakfast tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Oh." Tawny pulled a slip-on dress over her head and stepped into her shoes. "Well, I'm out of here. See you tomorrow?"

"I've got tomorrow off."

"I'm off Thursday, so I'll see you on Friday."

"Okay. Bye, Tawny."

Rachel took her time and was the last one to leave. Tom opened the back door for her and Rachel smiled at him. "Thanks for pulling that guy off me earlier."

"Just doing my job," he said gruffly.

When they were far enough away from the building that she could whisper and not be heard, Rachel repeated the address from the sticky note to him. She might as well give him a chance to back her up.

Tom nodded at her and spoke loudly. "Be careful driving tonight."

"Thanks, I will."

This time, the address led her to a motel not far from the high school. Part of her was furious that these drug dealers were set up so close to the school that kids could drop by at lunch. Pretending to check her face in the vanity mirror, Rachel bought a few minutes for what (if anything) Tom planned on doing, and then got out of the car.

It was late (or early, depending on your mindset), so Rachel knocked quietly on the door. A few seconds later it opened a crack and a suspicious eye peered at her. "I'm Rachel. From the club," she whispered.

The door opened and she stepped inside. And then she wished she hadn't. Rachel dropped her bag and raised her hands. There were three guns pointed at her: one from behind the door, one from behind a bed and the other from the bathroom. Rachel closed her eyes. "Please don't kill me. I followed the rules. Please…I don't want to die."

"Where's the stuff?"

Rachel pointed blindly at the floor. "In my bag. I swear I didn't open it. I did exactly like that guy told me to do. No one followed me and I didn't talk to…"

"Jeez…shut up."

"Sorry. I'm scared." Since they hadn't already shot her, she really wasn't scared, but if they thought she was it might make them relax.

"Get over there and sit on the bed."

"I really should be getting home."

Rachel had never had a gun pressed to her forehead before. It gave her a new understanding for how difficult it was to be a good witness. She found her spot and sat down. Her bag was thrust at her and she wrapped her arms around it. Rachel put her head down and concentrated. She listened to every word and worked up descriptions for each guy. They didn't talk much, but she did get first names for each of them.

After a half hour, they abruptly handed her a wad of twenties and pushed her out the door. Rachel got in her car and drove towards home. There was a car following her, but it eventually pulled up next to her and she saw it was Tom. She gave him a thumbs-up and he nodded before peeling off.

It took almost two hours to write up her report. Rachel was exhausted when she finally lay down to sleep.

***

"I think I ate too much."

Stevie smiled as she looked over at Rachel in the passenger seat. The dancer was rubbing her tummy with both hands. It had been very satisfying to watch Rachel eat. Mrs. Hennessey had told her that Rachel liked seafood, but 'liked' turned out to be a very subjective term. Stevie had never seen anyone eat so much seafood. Rachel had ordered a sample platter for an appetizer and then an enormous piece of salmon cooked on a cedar plank for an entree. Stevie had gone with a tangy shrimp and lobster dish covered with tropical fruit. It had been yummy, but what she couldn't finish was now in the backseat in the shape of an aluminum swan. Rachel had eaten everything placed in front of her.

"I liked watching you eat." Rachel screwed up her face and made pig noises. Stevie laughed at the display. "Not true. It felt good to see you be so enthusiastic."

Rachel framed her belly with her hands. "Look at that. I'm not going to be able to eat for days."

"You probably won't be hungry for days," Stevie teased.

"You are evil to make fun of me when I am so stuffed. I don't think I can walk. You'll have to roll me around."

"I think I saw something like that on a game show once. It looked like fun to me."

"Go ahead. Mock my suffering-which, I might add, is your fault to begin with."

"My fault? How do you figure that?"

"You went behind my back and asked Leona what my favorite kind of food was. Then you brought me to a seafood restaurant and said, 'The sky's the limit'. What did you think would happen?"

Stevie laughed so hard she was wiping tears from her eyes.

"Aaaaaaaaaaargh," Rachel moaned. "I'm dying."

"I assume you don't want to go dancing then."

"Bite your tongue."

"I'd rather bite yours," Stevie said softly.

"Kinky," Rachel teased.

Stevie turned off the freeway that would lead to her house. "I did think about dancing at first, but then I figured you do it at work. It might not be as fun for you now."

"I would like to dance with you, but you're right. Not tonight."

"Then I thought about walking through Old Town and maybe hanging out at the Gazebo, but it's kind of weird after dark because of the drug dealers."

"How do you know about that?"

"When I graduated from high school, my folks to me to a congratulatory dinner one night. We walked by there. It was a little scary."

"No doubt. So, what did you decide we should do after dinner?"

Stevie wasn't sure how her idea was going to go over. "I thought we could play Scrabble or sit on the front porch and talk, and then go see what kind of pie Mrs. Hennessey has. She said we could come over if we wanted to. I don't think she really expects us, but it might be fun to surprise her. I think she gets lonely."

It was quiet in the passenger seat. Stevie glanced over to see Rachel smiling. "What?"

Rachel shook her head. "You are a very rare kind of person, Stevie Marks."

Stevie liked the praise, but she wasn't sure what she was being complimented for. "I don't understand."

"It's alright. I think I'd like sitting on the porch to talk tonight. I have a feeling you'll obliterate me in Scrabble."

Stevie blew on her knuckles and rubbed them on her shirt. "I'm so good I don't even have to play anymore. Boo-yah." She smiled at Rachel's laughter and secretly thrilled at the hand caressing her arm. "It's really amazing to me that we met. I just want you to know that."

Rachel lifted an eyebrow. "Drive faster. I need to kiss you."

Chapter Six

Rachel looked under the bathroom sink and found a heating pad. She was finding that Stevie was generally well prepared for whatever came up. It was a nice trait to find in a potential lover provided it wasn't openly neurotic. Stevie pulled it off well.

It was Friday afternoon and they'd just finished getting tested for STDs at Planned Parenthood. Stevie decided on the deluxe examination so that there would be no doubts about her status and was now suffering from cramps. She'd tried toughing it out, but when she got so pale her veins were showing through her skin, Rachel had taken over driving. Now she was trying to make Stevie more comfortable.

Rachel plugged the heating pad in beside the nightstand and crawled onto the bed behind Stevie. "Here, honey. Put this on your belly."

Stevie unfolded long enough to obey and pulled her knees back up. "Thanks."

Rachel curled around Stevie and put an arm around her waist. "Do you want some sort of aspirin?"

"No. By the time it starts working it probably won't hurt anymore."

"Good point." Rachel indulged in the scent coming from the back of Stevie's neck. "Did you know you were going to get cramps?"

"It didn't hurt last time. This time it felt like they were carving out my cervix with an ice cream scoop. Last time it was nothing."

"I wonder what the difference was. How old were you last time?"

"Seventeen." Stevie scootched back a little and covered Rachel's arm with her own. "It had to be the speculum. Last time it was pretty small. This one was elephant sized. Is there some reason they have to be so darn big? They're just sticking a Q-tip up there. How much room do they need?"

"You could have asked for a smaller one."

"Next time I will." She was quiet for a minute and then she sighed. "This is really nice. Lying here with you."

Rachel smiled into Stevie's short hair. "Very nice." Rachel tucked one foot between the mattress and the foot board and started rocking them both. She felt a longing and guilt at the same time. "I really shouldn't be here. In fact, I shouldn't have done the testing today. There's a chance we can never be. It's not right for me to allow you to hope there can be."

"Because of your secret?"

"Yes."

"I'm accepting the risk. The fact you told me you had a secret you can't share counts for a lot. If you ever let me in, I'll listen to everything you have to say before I make any decisions." Stevie turned her face towards the ceiling. "If you have to lie about your life for a while, I can handle that. Just don't lie to me about how you feel."

Rachel stopped rocking and rose up on an elbow. She looked down at Stevie and saw so much trust shining up at her. "I'm not supposed to have feelings for you, but I do. I'm out of my element on every level, but how I feel about you might be the only thing I really believe in. I hope you're what you appear to be, or I'll never believe in anything again."

"What do I appear to be?"

Rachel put a hand to Stevie's face and traced the youthful contours. "Good."

Stevie turned her face into the caress, but her eyes were amused. "You think I'm good?"

"Aren't you? Have you ever broken the law for fun? Have you ever broken a heart without caring? Have you ever started a fight?"

"Well…I speed sometimes and once I stole a candy bar, but I paid for that."

"It's not really stealing if you pay for it."

"Not that kind of paying." Stevie laughed a little. "My dad warmed my butt pretty good and then I had to take the wrapper back to the store and confess to the manager. It was brutal. I never stole anything again."

Rachel traced Stevie's eyebrows and down the bridge of her nose. "I was right. You are good."

"I think you're good, too," Stevie said in a whisper.

Rachel stared into Stevie's eyes. The sense of rightness she felt just being around Stevie was remarkable. The depth of her feelings was growing exponentially. "Amy Sussman."

"Who?"

"Amy Sussman. She was my girlfriend for a long time. I was with her for over five years. We broke up last year. It's been two weeks and I feel closer to you than I ever did to her."

"Why did you break up?"

"It's not about why we broke up, Stevie." Rachel sat up and brushed her hair back. "How can I feel closer to you after only two weeks?"

"It's kind of scary in a totally gotta-have-it sort of way, huh?"

"Yeah," she said slowly. "I just don't know how I could have thought I loved Amy when I feel like this about you."

"Are you saying you love me?"

"I don't know." Rachel turned to face Stevie. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"Wendi wasn't really my girlfriend. We met in college and…we slept together a couple of times. It was never a love relationship. We were good friends and it just sort of developed. She's a teacher in Namibia now and I get cards once in a while. She's a good person and I don't regret it."

Stevie was still pale, and she was rubbing the heating pad. "You're still hurting pretty bad,” Rachel said. “I want you to take something."

Stevie rolled back on her side. "Okay."

Rachel found ibuprofen in the bathroom and gave it to Stevie. She watched the young woman swallow the pills and rubbed her back. "You shouldn't be hurting this bad. Are you bleeding?"

"I don't think so." Stevie put her head down and closed her eyes. "Maybe I was too tense."

"Roll over on your stomach. Maybe a massage will help."

When Stevie was settled, Rachel sat on her thighs and pushed her shirt up. Tugging her jeans down a couple of inches, she put her hands on Stevie's lower back and started caressing.

Stevie's body relaxed in stages. "Wow," she moaned. "That feels amazing."

Rachel put the heels of her hands along Stevie's spine and began a deeper stroke. She smiled at the groan Stevie let out. "Is that helping your cramps?"

"Uh huh."

Rachel massaged Stevie until she was sure the young woman was asleep. She rearranged her clothes and pulled the blue comforter over her. The room looked nice since being redecorated. It was done primarily in blue, but all of the racing trophies were gone, and the pictures were of mountains instead of Motocross. The computer was still in the corner, but there was a bookshelf there now to hold all of the books. It looked much neater than before. The bedroom still looked like Stevie, but an older, more mature Stevie.

Rachel eased off the bed and went in search of a blank piece of paper. She wrote a note about having to go to work and then offered to buy her lunch the next day if she could meet her at the park downtown. Rachel added how cute Stevie was when she slept and left a lipstick kiss on the bottom. Laying the note on the pillow beside Stevie, she lost nearly twenty minutes just watching her sleep. Leaving left her hollow.

***

It was simply gorgeous on Saturday. There were a few fluffy clouds in the rich blue sky, but the sun shone brightly and there was only a slight breeze. Stevie dressed in a yellow muscle tee and dark green cargo shorts. She slipped on a pair of Sketchers and opted to ride her bicycle to the park.

She found Rachel near the water-play fountain. Rachel was watching kids play in the randomly shooting streams of water with a smile on her face. Stevie stopped to watch her. It was more than how she looked that drew her. There was an essence about Rachel that pulled at her. At times like this, Stevie could feel that tug as if it were as solid as a steel cable. She'd never felt anything like it before. It scared her, but she couldn't stay away.

Locking her bike to a rack, Stevie took off her sunglasses and climbed over Rachel's bench. She sat down beside Rachel and smiled. "Fancy meeting you here."

Rachel's eyes were hidden behind her sunglasses, but her face turned toward Stevie and her smile widened. "Hi, baby."

Stevie's entire body melted at the endearment.

"Love the shorts."

It took a moment to get her mouth working. "I told you…it's the knees. They drive girls crazy."

"It's not the knees, baby."

"It's not?"

"It's your smile."

Stevie made a face and hoped her blush wasn't visible. "I don't know. I still think it's the knees."

"Trust me…it's your smile. It's irresistible."

Stevie put her arms along the back of the bench. "I'm glad you think so. Yours is pretty irresistible, too."

"I'm finding everything irresistible about you, Stevie. I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

Stevie wasn't sure what to say, so she fell back on her purpose for being there. "I thought you were going to feed me. I think that's a good place to start."

"Fair enough. What are you hungry for?"

Stevie considered the restaurants within close proximity. "I can go for BBQ. How about you?"

"Excellent choice."

Stevie had a great time. They ate barbeque and somehow managed to walk out looking clean. They walked the park and played on the swings and talked. She'd never had a connection like this before. It was hard to imagine that she would ever get bored talking to Rachel.

They were eating ice cream cones on a shaded bench when Rachel stiffened. "What is it?" Stevie asked.

"We've got company," Rachel said. "Follow my lead?"

Stevie nodded once. "I'm right behind you."

"Well, well, well…if it isn't our very own Rachel."

Stevie's eyes almost popped out of her head. She remembered seeing this woman at the club on her birthday, but she hadn't been paying much attention to her at the time. She had giant platinum blond hair, an exaggerated hourglass figure and the most enormous boobs she'd ever seen. They had to be like G's or H’s, and they were way too perky to be real.

"Hello, Candy," Rachel said evenly. "I'm surprised to see you here."

Candy fluttered a hand with a grimace. "It's a birthday party for a snot-nosed nephew. I couldn't get out of it." Her eyes shifted to Stevie and she smiled in a predatory fashion. "Who is this? She looks familiar…"

Neither of them was fast enough to answer that.

"Oh, yes," Candy said with oily delight. "You're Rachel's lap dance. I wonder what Gary will say when he finds out you know each other."

"I wonder what Gary will say when I tell him you've been taking Doxycycline."

All amusement left Candy's face. "You wouldn't dare."

"You really should tell him," Rachel urged. "You're just going to get re-infected."

"That's none of your business." Candy nodded at Stevie. "Was she a plant?"

"No," Rachel said with a smile. "We'd never met before. I was on my way home after work and found her on a curb. She'd been abandoned by a cabdriver and I just couldn't leave her there. She was too drunk to take care of herself. I took her home and we've had lunch a couple of times. She makes me feel normal, Candy. I need that as a coping mechanism. Do what you need to do, but this is innocent."

"Have you slept with her?"

"No."

Stevie could hardly take her eyes off the interaction. She only understood half of what was going on. Rachel and Candy were taking each other's measure and Stevie wondered who was going to crack first.

Candy finally sighed. "If I find out you're lying, I'm telling Gary."

"I'm not lying, so Gary will never need to know. About anything."

"Fine." Candy turned abruptly and walked away.

Stevie watched her and wondered how much of that ridiculous wiggle was real and how much was practiced. Women's bodies didn't move like that naturally. Candy stepped off the concrete path and her stiletto heels sank into the earth. Stevie grinned as she watched Candy struggle not to fall. "What kind of person wears heels like that to a park?"

"I don't think Candy does nature."

Rachel looked subdued. Stevie smiled at her. "Your ice cream is dripping down your hand."

Rachel grinned. "So is yours."

Laughing, both of them caught up with their melting cones and wiped their hands clean. Stevie waited for Rachel to relax before saying anything. "I have two questions. First, what's Doxycycline for?"

"Chlamydia."

Stevie took a swirling lick of her ice cream. "So, she has an STD and she probably got it, or shared it, with Gary. Is that your boss?"

Rachel was taking short licks of her cone. "Yes. There's no point in taking the meds if you're just going to have continued sexual contact with the source of infection. She should tell him-and all the rest of her boy toys-so they can get treated and not pass it on. I don't know why she isn't telling anyone."

"Maybe she wants them to have it."

Rachel made a face. "That's pretty cold."

"Some people are like that. It's like they don't know how or why they should care about other people."

"I don't think they do. What was your other question?"

Stevie held a hand about twelve inches out from her chest. "Were those things for real? They've probably got their own time zone."

Rachel started to laugh. "God, no."

Stevie shook her head. "I'm going to have nightmares. I just know it."

***

It was nearly three in the morning and Stevie couldn't sleep. Rachel's secret was driving her crazy. She wanted to respect Rachel's right to privacy, but her gut was screaming that she should look into things. Something was going on and it probably wasn't a good thing. The problem was that she didn't even know Rachel's last name.

She did, however, know where she worked. Maybe she could find out a few things without actually invading Rachel's privacy.

Stevie slipped out of bed and sat down at her computer. She planned her attack while it booted up. She would take a careful look around and see if anything looked unusual. If she found something, she might ask Tall Bob if he would help her do some deeper snooping.

Stevie had a feeling that Rachel's secret had to do with the club she worked at-or with someone who worked there. She had no idea what that secret might be, but people kept secrets when they were afraid of something. Stevie was going to see if she could find out what Rachel was afraid of. Maybe she could do something to eliminate Rachel's fears and there would be no more reason to keep secrets.

***

Helen was disappointed and a little worried when Stevie didn't come to lunch on Sunday. Stevie always made a point of letting them know when she wouldn't be there. It was usually because of her racing, but Helen knew there were no races today.

When lunch was over and everyone went their separate ways, Helen cleaned the kitchen and made a doggie bag for Stevie out of the leftovers. Collecting her purse, she picked up the food dish and turned around. Jacob was standing in her way.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm taking lunch to Stevie. She didn't call and I'm a tad worried."

"Don't go."

This was the longest conversation they'd had in a week. They still slept in the same bed, of course, but it was fast becoming a cold and lonely place. Helen considered his request. "What would you rather I do?"

"I'd like us to pray together and study the word of God. There's a way through this. We need only find it. We can't go on this way. We're like strangers. I miss my wife."

He sounded so sincere. It brought tears to Helen's eyes. "I miss my husband, too."

"Then stay."

Helen considered it. "I can't." His face collapsed in on itself and then became stone. "It is not a question of loving you, Jacob. I love you and I would marry you again today, but our daughter needs me. She needs you, too, but you can't see past your faith to see how…"

"My faith is all I have left."

Helen stifled the urge to hit him in the head with a brick. "How dare you stand there and tell me that your faith is all you have left. This entire family loves you no matter what. You are the one who is choosing your faith over your family. You don't get to be the victim here, Jacob. When did your faith become a barricade for your heart? Where is the man whose love was so big he couldn't contain it? Where is the man who laughed and sang to express his joy in being alive and beloved of God? Where is that man, Jacob?"

"Where is the woman who vowed before God that she would be my helpmate? Where is the woman who promised to love, honor and obey me for time and all eternity?"

Helen paused. She had made that promise. When had she stopped believing it was her duty to obey her husband? Of course, it seemed ridiculous now, but it was the promise she made, and she meant it at the time. What did it mean to her marriage that she no longer wanted to be blindly obedient?

"Stay home with me," Jacob pleaded earnestly. "Pray with me. I'm afraid for you…and for us. This phase of Stephanie's is dividing us at a time when we should be standing strong."

Helen sighed. He'd almost convinced her that it really was about their marriage. "When you want to talk about us, I'll be there, but I won't sit down and let you lecture me from the Bible about what a bad wife I am and how Satan is leading our daughter into darkness. Using the Bible to make people do what you want, and think the way you think, is bullying. It's manipulative and it's beneath you. I'll be back in a couple of hours and we can talk then if you are so inclined, but we will talk about our feelings and needs…not conduct a Bible study on the supposed sin of homosexuality or my deficiencies as a wife."

Jacob's face was calm, but he was bright red. "She's corrupted you. That's the danger of tolerance. Evil has the face of an angel."

"So does virtue. Judging from the anger on your face, I don't think you're qualified to tell the difference. We'll talk when I get home."

Jacob spun on his heel and slammed the den door behind him. Helen felt like crying her heart out. She knew she was changing, but she didn't believe it was a bad thing. She hoped Jacob would be able to grow with her, but if he couldn't, she wasn't going to lobotomize herself to make him happy.

"Mom?"

Her heart fell as she realized that her youngest child had probably heard most of that. She looked up at him where he stood on the stairs. "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Rory."

"Are you going to leave Dad?"

"I hope not. I love him very much."

"Can I come with you?"

"Yes." Rory barreled down the stairs and Helen captured him in a hug. "Have faith in us, son. We may be fighting, but we love you and we love each other."

"I know, Mom. It's cool."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

They were halfway to Stevie's when Rory spoke again. "If you and Dad get a divorce, is it real?"

"Real?"

"You got married in the temple."

"Oh." Helen knew what he was asking now. "The temple marriage can never be undone, but the earthly part of our marriage can be ended. I really don't think it will come to that."

"Me either. I was just wondering."

"I wish you hadn't heard that. Your father and I do fight from time to time. We've always worked it out before. There's no reason for you to think we won't work it out this time."

"If you do break up, I want to live with you."

Helen glanced at her son in shock.

"I know you won't," Rory continued, "but if you do, I want to live with you. I love Dad, but I hardly see him, and he'd never let me hang out with Stevie."

"Okay." Kids could be remarkably straight to the point. "May I ask you something?"

"Sure, Mom."

"How do you maintain your faith and accept your sister for what she is?"

Rory didn't miss a beat. "The Bible says we should stone Stevie to death, but God is love. He wants us to be happy. He wouldn't make Stevie gay and then punish her for falling in love. I believe in God, not the Bible."

"Is it that simple?" she mused aloud.

"It is if you love Stevie."

It was something she would need to think about more, but Helen smiled proudly at her youngest child. "I do love her. I love you, too."

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think I want to go on a mission."

Jacob was going to have a stroke, but her choices were becoming easier. "If you still feel that way when the time comes, I'll square it with your dad."

"Thanks, Mom."

***

Stevie looked terrible when she answered the door. She was still in her pajamas and it looked like she hadn't slept.

"Mom? Rory?"

Helen was instantly worried. "You didn't show up for lunch. We came to make sure you're alright."

"What time is it?"

"Almost two."

Stevie rubbed at her face with both hands and then scratched her head. "Come on in. I lost track of time."

"Have you slept?"

"Not on purpose."

Helen wasn't sure what that meant, but Stevie disappeared into her bedroom before she could ask for clarification. She wasn't sure what to do until Rory took the food from her and told her to get comfortable. He went into the kitchen and Helen sat down in the rocking chair. It wasn't as nice looking as the one she had at home, but it was much more comfortable. She smiled about that.

"Do you want a soda?" Rory asked. "Or maybe some fruit juice? I'm not sure what it is. Smells okay."

"Maybe we should wait for your sister to come out."

"Stevie!" he yelled.

Helen shook her head ruefully.

"What?" Stevie called from the bedroom.

"What's this red drink in the fridge?"

The bedroom door opened, and Stevie's head poked out. "It's herbal tea. No caffeine and it doesn't need sugar. It's really good."

"You want some, Mom?" Rory asked.

Stevie nodded at her. "Try it, Mom. It's good stuff."

Helen loved her children all the time, but there were moments when her love for them swelled beyond bearing. This was one of those moments. She swallowed against the pressure in her chest. "Okay."

"Put it over ice, Rory."

"Okay."

Stevie disappeared back in her room and a few minutes later, Rory handed her a tall glass of iced tea. Helen sipped it and recognized the Red Zinger tea. She hadn't tasted it in decades and it brought back fond memories.

Rory turned the television on to the X Games and plopped down on the sofa with an orange soda. Stevie crossed from her bedroom to the bathroom with the promise it would only be ten minutes. A few seconds later the shower turned on. Helen put her head back and rocked contentedly and she wondered if she had ever been in a home that felt so comfortable. It was pretty amazing to her that her daughter was the one to create it.

Helen had her eyes closed and she was probably only minutes away from snoozing when there was a knock on the door. Rory was quick to jump up, so Helen just opened her eyes to see who it was.

"Hey, Rachel," Rory said in a welcoming tone. "Come on in. Stevie's in the shower."

"Thanks, Rory. I just stopped by to say hello."

Helen stopped rocking when she saw Rachel. She was a knock-out. How did Rory know her? What was she to Stevie? How did they meet? Did Stevie have a girlfriend? Was this beautiful young woman her…future daughter-in-law? Helen's mouth went dry, and she had no idea what to say or how to act.

"This is my mom, Rachel. Mom, this is Rachel. She's Stevie's…friend."

Rachel's entire being looked as nervous as Helen felt and it eased her concerns considerably. Helen stood up and put a hand out. "Hi, Rachel. You can call me Helen."

"I think I'd rather call you Mrs. Marks," Rachel said as she nervously reached out to shake hands. "Um…I just came by to say hello. It looks like you guys have plans…"

"No, we don't." Helen was feeling stronger and more curious by the moment. She held onto Rachel's hand. "We just came by to drop off lunch for Stevie. I brought plenty. I'm sure there's enough for you, too."

"I couldn't."

Rory patted Rachel's shoulder. "Relax, Rachel. Mom is cool. Can I get you something to drink?"

"I could use a beer."

At the suddenly frozen look on Rachel's face, Helen surmised that she'd just realized the potential faux pas. It made her laugh. "Does Stevie have beer?"

"She might," Rory offered cautiously.

"Get one for Rachel, please."

Rory didn't move. "I'm not allowed to touch the beer. Stevie's rule."

"I see." Helen let go of Rachel's hand and started for the kitchen. "I'll get it then."

"In the garage, Mom."

She took a right turn and went to the garage. She found cold beer (only five) in the refrigerator and carried one back in for Rachel. She hadn't had this much fun in a long time. Rory had his back to the front door, talking quietly to Rachel. Helen handed her the beer and took her arm. "Please stay, Rachel. I'll try not to ask any awkward questions. We weren't planning on staying very long anyway. Stevie will be out of the shower in a few minutes and I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"I don't want to interrupt."

"You're not. Come sit down."

The three of them took seats and an awkward silence fell. Helen felt obligated to smooth things over. "So…what kind of work do you do, Rachel?"

The tension in the room rose.

"I'm a waitress at a night club," Rachel said uneasily.

"I'll bet that's hard work."

"It is, but it's not what I want to do forever."

"What kind of work would you prefer?"

Rachel looked…unclear. "I was thinking criminal justice…or maybe a paralegal. I'm going to go back to school as soon as I can."

Helen wasn't sure Rachel would ever go back to school. Being a waitress might be as far as she would ever go. She didn't think that was a bad thing, but she'd hoped for more for her daughter. Stevie was so smart. She deserved a mate who could keep up. But Helen knew she couldn't say anything like that or she would run the risk of driving Stevie straight into Rachel's arms.

Not to mention, the least likely people could surprise you at any time. Maybe Rachel was a waitress only because she hadn't had a chance to go to college. The job one chose was not necessarily a good indicator of intelligence. Maybe Rachel was more than she appeared to be. Regardless, if Stevie cared about her, Helen would be supportive. She wasn't going to do anything that might jeopardize their healing relationship.

"Sometimes things don't happen the way you plan. I hope your dream finds you."

"Thanks. What do you do?"

"Well, I'm a housewife, but I do a lot of volunteer work at our church. I've just recently started going to P-FLAG meetings and I might eventually volunteer with them, too. I stay pretty busy."

"Volunteers are unsung heroes," Rachel said with approval. "If everyone gave just five hours a week to something they cared about, we could change the world."

"Do you ever volunteer?"

"Not in the last couple of months, no. But I used to work with the Literacy Project when I was in high school. Last summer I volunteered two afternoons a week at the Boys and Girls Club as a basketball coach for the girls."

The water in the shower shut off. Helen knew she only had another minute or two with Rachel. Rory was watching them carefully and Rachel was looking more confident. Helen wanted to be sophisticated and charming, but the whole situation was outside her comfort zone. She had no control when she opened her mouth and said, "Stevie has a heart as open as the sky. I hope you won't plant any bombs in it."

Rachel's face softened. "I'm not perfect, Mrs. Marks, but I'm doing my best. Stevie's an archetype for everything good in people. I don't want to do anything to change that. If I fail, it won't be on purpose."

The statement was comforting. "Thank you."

Stevie stepped out of the bathroom in shorts and a t-shirt, her hands combing through her wet hair. She saw the three of them sitting together and froze. Helen watched everyone's eyes darting and realized they were anxiously waiting for her reaction. It reminded her all over again how young they were. Helen started laughing. "Everyone relax. It's all good today."

Stevie was still speechless, but Rachel smiled. "I was with Leona and just came by to say hello. Meeting your mom was just a happy accident."

Her daughter looked terrified. Helen got up and hugged Stevie. "I like her," she whispered. It wasn't a total lie. "And she's lovely."

Stevie hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Mom."

Helen drew back and patted her daughter's face. "I just brought you lunch. There should be enough food for both of you."

"What is it?"

"Tuna casserole and fruit salad."

"Excellent."

"Rory and I won't stay. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You can stay, Mom."

Helen shook her head. She knew when to step back and let her children go. "Maybe I'll take Rory to a movie. Oh, by the way, next Thursday night is a potluck at P-FLAG. We're encouraged to show off our gay kids. Will you come with me?"

Stevie's face lit up. "That would be great, Mom."

"Perfect. I'll call you at work this week to remind you. Bring Rachel if you want to." Helen didn't expect the bone-crushing hug she got, but it made her feel like a million dollars.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, sweetheart."

***

As soon as the front door closed, Rachel dropped down on the couch. "Oh my God. I asked your mom for a beer."

Stevie looked surprised. "You did?"

"She went and got me one!" Rachel put her bottle down on the end table and covered her eyes. "She hates me."

"She likes you."

"No, she doesn't. She's going to tolerate me because she loves you. I can't believe this."

Stevie sat down beside Rachel on the couch. "I think she wants to like you. She invited me to go to a P-FLAG potluck on Thursday. It sounds like a show-and-tell type thing. She told me I could invite you. Would she do that if she hated you?"

"If it meant keeping you in her life, yes." Rachel dropped her hands and looked at Stevie. "She asked me not to hurt you."

Stevie shrugged. "It's a Mom thing. Now, if it were my Dad we were talking about…he's going to hate you."

"Thanks a lot. I feel so much better."

Stevie grinned. "You're welcome. But for the record, my Dad pretty much hates everything about me right now. It wouldn't be you he was hating."

Rachel considered it. "Nope. Not helping."

"Maybe you should come over here and let me kiss you till you forget the whole thing."

Rachel opened her mouth to continue fussing and then reconsidered. Kissing Stevie was not something to pass up. "Funny, that's exactly what I came here for."

Stevie scooted closer. "Don't worry about my Mom. She's coming around to accepting me. She'll come around for you, too."

Rachel's heart was beating faster, and her lips were tingling with anticipation. She leaned closer. "Why are you still talking about your mom? It's kind of a buzz kill."

"I'll make a note of that."

Their lips met and Rachel felt a rush of arousal under her skin. It only took seconds for her to need more contact. Rachel wrapped her arms around Stevie and molded herself to the long body. When she was lowered to her back, Rachel shifted her legs so she could wrap them around Stevie's hips. The weight of Stevie pressing her down was delicious.

Rachel opened her mouth and invited Stevie in with a flick of her tongue. She could feel Stevie's rising passion in her kiss and in her touch. The barely restrained urgency of Stevie's ardor was incredibly exciting. Rachel pulled at the back of Stevie's t-shirt and slipped her hands underneath. She ran her hands clear up to Stevie's shoulders and pulled their bodies tightly together.

Stevie lifted her head with a gasp. "Sweet Lord," she breathed.

Rachel arched up into Stevie and raked her nails down the muscular back. Her whole body thrilled at the groan that came from within Stevie. "You are so sexy."

Stevie looked down at her with heavy eyes. "It's you. You're the one. So beautiful and exciting…"

Rachel lifted her head and nipped at Stevie's chin. "Kiss me, lover. Take my breath away."

The limits of the flesh melted away as Stevie proceeded to do just that.

***

Rhonda was sorting laundry when Rachel arrived at their meeting point. "Hi," she said with a smile.

Rhonda smiled back. "Wow, you're looking better."

"I'm feeling better, too. I actually put on three pounds this week."

Rhonda grimaced. "I'm struggling to take ten off."

"Maybe when this is over we can work out together. Dancing is a much better fitness routine than it gets credit for."

"That would be fun. Maybe we can set up a regular thing."

"I'd like that."

The two of them got their laundry going and then sat down to talk. Rhonda had a few clarification questions about Rachel's electronic report from the past week. A man came in to switch his laundry to a dryer and they pretended to read magazines until he left. When they were alone again, she went into the bathroom to give a verbal report of the drug drop into a small recording device. It took a while to do it right, so Rhonda took care of their laundry. A verbal report was a much easier way to report the nuances and those could be so important.

Afterwards, Rhonda told her that Stevie and her friends had been cleared. Rachel already knew they were innocent, but it felt good to hear it anyway. She told Rhonda about Candy's STD. It probably didn't have anything to do with the case, but the fact that Candy wasn't being honorable might mean something at some point. It was hard to tell in advance what was vital information and what wasn't. In any case, word would get back to Tom and he could protect himself from her.

As they finished folding their laundry, Rachel asked for a favor. "Could you get someone to call my folks and tell them I'm okay?"

"I'll do it," Rhonda offered.

"Tell them I'm really doing okay and that I miss them?"

"They live in the area, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll go see them if you like. It'll be easier for them to see the truth than hear it."

"That would be awesome, Rhonda. I'd really appreciate it."

She gave her parent's address to Rhonda and thanked her again.

***

Stevie waited for a quiet moment at the shop to send Short Bob out for lunch. She sat down beside Tall Bob and said, "I need your help."

His pale blue eyes looked at her with no expression at all.

"It might not be entirely legal."

Bob never changed his bland expression. "Okay."

"Remember Rachel? I introduced her last week?"

Bob nodded.

Stevie laid out what she knew and what she'd already done in the way of snooping. She gave him a disc with what she'd found and waited while he did a quick scan of it.

"Okay," he finally said.

"This is just between you and me," Stevie added. "I'll pay you for your time, but we can't do it here."

Bob shook his head and spoke haltingly. "If I get arrested, you bail me out and pay for my lawyer."

It would be a lot cheaper to insist on paying him, but it was more than fair considering the risk he'd be taking for her. "Bail, a lawyer, and I keep paying your wages until you can come back to work. You have a deal."

They shook solemn hands and went back to work before Short Bob came back with tacos and burritos.

***

Stevie felt like a shiny bauble, but her mother was having so much fun introducing her that she couldn't object. She'd been praying for this kind of support all along, so it was worth a little embarrassment to finally get it. About half of the parents had their gay kids with them. Slightly more were men and most were older by about ten years, but it was kind of fun to meet all of them.

Her mother was making a point of telling everyone that it had taken a long time for her to come to the point of accepting her daughter. Stevie just smiled and told everyone that her mother was worth the wait.

She wished Rachel had been able to come, but she had to work. Maybe if Rachel had been there, parents wouldn't be scoping her out for their own daughters. It was flattering, but it was also embarrassing. Stevie refused to give out her number, but she suspected that a number of curious women were going to be dropping by the shop over the next few days. Her mother was only too happy to brag about her being a business owner. Everyone knew how to find her.

Stevie hugged her mom long and hard when the evening ended. It really was a blessing that her mother was learning to accept her to such a degree.

When she got home, Tall Bob was sitting on her porch.

***

There was another package in her locker. Rachel sighed. She really didn't see how this was advancing the case. If only she could put an electronic eye in her locker and see who was leaving the packages for her. They couldn't dust the package for prints before delivery because it would be obvious, so what was the point of making her the newest delivery girl? Rachel memorized the address and tossed the package into her bag.

It felt good to get dressed. It had been a bit cold all evening and her chilled skin was grateful for the warmth. She said goodbye to Moira and Tawny and signaled Tom on her way out. He followed her out to her car and she discretely gave him the address.

"Be careful," he said before she could close her door.

He sounded like he meant it. Rachel nodded. "I need to pick up a few groceries. It might slow me down by about ten minutes."

"I'll be watching out for you."

"Thanks."

It took almost fifteen minutes to pick up some eggs, bread and oranges. The all-night grocery wasn't terribly busy, but there was only one checker. Rachel assumed she was being watched. She was carrying a significant investment. It only made sense for her to be under surveillance. It amused her to make them follow her to a store.

There was no sign of Tom when she found the house she'd been directed to. Of course, there wasn't supposed to be any sign of him. Rachel stamped down her nerves and got out of the car. She had no idea what she was walking into, but she had to pretend it was all about collecting another five hundred dollars.

It sounded like a party was going on in the house. There were quite a few cars on the street, so it wasn't unlikely. She had to knock on the door twice before it opened.

"Yowza!" a frat boy type said as he opened the door. "Hello, baby. Come on in. My name's Caleb and I've been waiting for you all my life."

"The search isn't over," Rachel said with a pat to his broad chest. "I'm not here to party. Someone is waiting for me."

"That would be me."

It was Mr. Halitosis from the first drop. He grabbed Rachel's arm and took her deeper into the house. There were probably twenty guys around the house. Most were drinking beer. Some were smoking meth, weed and cigarettes. Hate rock was blaring throughout the messy house. Rachel hoped she was safe with all these men. Hopefully, she would be in and out before they saw the possibilities.

Stench Boy took her into a bedroom and let go of her arm. "Where is it?"

Rachel took the package out of her bag and he snatched it away. She sat down on the bed and waited for him to verify that she hadn't messed with the contents.

"What took you so long?"

"I needed to buy some food. It was on the way."

He looked at her with genuine malice. "You left this in your car so you could go shopping?"

"No. I carried it with me."

"Into a grocery store? Are you fucking stupid?"

"Who would suspect me if I stopped at the store first?"

Rachel never saw it coming and it took her a moment to figure out why she was on the floor. In the next moment, she could taste blood inside her mouth. Rachel put a hand to her face and then stood up. She was as mad as she had ever felt in her whole life. "You hit me!"

"You ever do anything that stupid again and I'll do more than hit you," he warned.

"Make sure you kill me," she hissed at him. "Just make damn sure you kill me, or I'll find a way to rip your heart out. No one hits me twice and lives. Now, give me my money so I can get out of this pit."

"Who do you think you're messing with?" he asked with a snort.

"An asswipe with bad breath and no future."

His fist snapped out at her, but she was ready this time. Deflecting his arm, she drove the heel of her hand into his nose with a loud crunch. He fell to the carpet like he'd been tasered. It might not have been the wisest thing she'd ever done, but she was not going to let him hit her again.

"Fuck," he moaned as he carefully covered his bloody face.

It was time to leave. "Where's my money?"

"Fuck you, bitch."

"Pay me or I'll kick your teeth out, Stink Face."

She had to pull her foot back before he pulled some bills out of his pocket and threw them at her. Rachel counted it to make sure it was the right amount and dropped it in her bag. "Nice doing business with you…not."

"This was your last drop," he groaned. "Someone's gonna find your body in a ditch. Gonna have to use your teeth to ID you."

"You're really going to tell your boss that a girl broke your nose? Really?" Rachel laughed through her fear. "I guess you've got bigger balls than I thought. Good luck with that."

She left the house as quickly as she could without running. She was shaking from the inside out. Rachel knew how to fight, but it wasn't something she enjoyed outside a gym.

Rachel could still taste blood in her mouth. She checked for the source with her tongue and found an open cut inside her bottom lip. It wasn't too bad right now, but it was going to be painful in the morning. Hopefully, it wouldn't show.

She spotted Tom following her a few blocks away from the drop. Rachel was half tempted to make him stop and show him her lip, but there was nothing he could do about it. Besides, she'd put it in her report. Tom would read about it soon enough. She rolled down her window and gave him a wave to let him know she was okay. He flashed his lights and fell back, but he followed her all the way home.

Rachel thought he wanted to talk, but he left as soon as she was inside her apartment. She went into the bathroom and looked at her lip. It was definitely a puncture from one of her teeth. She also had some discoloration on her cheek.

Rachel went into the kitchen and made an ice pack. Holding it to her face, she sat down at her tiny dining table and closed her eyes. In the whole time she'd been working undercover, she'd never felt so alone. On the top of her short list of people she really wanted to see right then was Stevie. A hug and some TLC would go a long way towards making her feel safe again.

Chapter Seven

There was a homemade dirt bike track (of sorts) on the edge of town. It was a fairly large piece of land owned by the city and zoned for commercial property. It was next to a large grocery store and a couple of fast-food restaurants. Stevie figured no one was buying it because of the economy. The rough terrain made it perfect as a free place to practice.

It was Saturday morning, and the sky was overcast. It wasn't raining and it wasn't hot which made for good riding weather in Stevie's opinion. She needed to think about the information Tall Bob had found for her and blazing over trails and jumps sometimes helped her think.

She hadn't asked Bob to check Rachel out. All she'd wanted was information on the club, but when he ran simple searches on the employees, he came up with a number of hinky responses. It was his nature to chase that sort of thing down. He didn't explain what it was about Rachel Waine's electronic identity that made him question it, but what he found after considerable digging had shocked her to the core.

Rachel was a cop!

One of the bouncers was a cop, too.

Stevie figured the bouncer was back-up for Rachel. What she didn't know yet was why they were working in the club, but she thought it might have something to do with the dead DEA agent working behind the bar. Of course, it just wasn't likely that the bartender was really a DEA agent. The real one had died in an explosion so devastating it had taken almost a week to determine what kind of car it had been. Stevie wondered if the bartender knew that his credentials belonged to law enforcement of the Federal variety. Tall Bob had not been able to figure out who he really was.

There were quite a few people lining the sides of the biggest jump on the informal course. Stevie took the jump big. Hooking her feet behind the hand grips, she lay back on the bike for a full second and then quickly got back in position for the landing. She could hear them cheering as she raced on and it made her smile.

Were the police investigating the bartender? Did they know who he was? Bob had offered to hack the Police Department to find out what they knew, but Stevie had said no. She had no idea how sophisticated the Tech Division was in the local Police Department. If it was any good at all, there was no sense asking the tiger to bite you.

Bob had argued that he'd already hacked the DEA and the risk with the local PD was low, but Stevie still said no. It scared her pretty good that he'd hacked a Federal Agency. Since they weren't already in prison, she didn't think it was a good idea to push their luck.

One of the other dancers was still an enigma. Bob was working on her, but so far, she didn't appear to have a past. The fact that her Social Security card belonged to a four-year-old boy was pretty conclusive that it was stolen.

What Stevie wondered now was what to do with all of the information. What she wanted to do was show Rachel everything, but she was afraid that Rachel would be angry with her. Stevie had agreed to let Rachel have her secrets until she was ready to give them up. How would Rachel react when she found out that Stevie had uncovered those secrets? Would she still trust Stevie?

On the other hand, it wasn't a secret Stevie could keep forever and still feel good about her integrity. When Rachel came clean, Stevie would have to do the same. Her choice seemed to be a sooner or later kind of thing. Sooner might be better in the long run, but if not, later offered more time with Rachel. It was an agonizing choice.

On the next big jump, Stevie let her instincts guide her through the maneuver. She let her body fall back behind the bike. She grabbed the tail fin before the bike got out of reach, her entire body stretched out perpendicular to the ground. She held it just a moment too long and really had to hustle to get the bike back under her. When she hit the ground, her chest slammed into the handlebars, but she managed to keep her balance and continue. Fortunately, her chest protector took the brunt of the hit and she felt very little of it.

It wouldn't be too difficult to send all of her information to the Police without exposing herself or Bob. If she did that, she'd know for sure they had all of the information Bob had gathered. Maybe there were a few pieces they didn't have that would help them. She could also send the information about the bartender directly to the DEA. They would probably love to know one of their fallen was being used for potentially nefarious purposes.

But Stevie worried that the DEA's priorities might not include Rachel's safety to the degree that Stevie needed. She didn't know if she could afford to take that risk.

Still, the underlying problem was what to do about Rachel. Should she tell her or not? And if she had to tell her at some point, should it be now or later?

Stevie whipped the heavy bike sideways off the jump and drew her legs together on the upside of the bike. It was a flashy move, but one of the simpler ones for her. When she landed, Stevie left the track and headed for her truck. She rode straight up the ramp into the bed and cut the motor.

Stevie pulled off her gloves and then her helmet. Dropping them in the milk crate she had bolted to the bed of the truck, she relaxed and began removing the rest of her gear.

When it came right down to it, the most important thing to Stevie about the whole thing was her relationship with Rachel. If they were going to have a chance at being together, they had to be able to trust each other. Rachel had demonstrated her desire for trust by telling Stevie she had a secret she couldn't share…yet. Knowing what she knew now, Stevie was fully aware that Rachel had taken an unnecessary risk. That meant Rachel already trusted Stevie.

She had to tell Rachel what she knew. It was the only way to avoid betraying the trust Rachel had given her. It was a risk, yes, but no less than the risk Rachel had taken. Stevie had to live up to that trust or she would never deserve it.

She also had to be very careful about how she did it. Stevie had no idea what kind of surveillance Rachel was under.

***

Rachel bolted up out of bed at the knock on her door. The only people who should know where she lived were her superiors and her targets. Her superiors were very unlikely to approach her apartment for fear of exposing her. After the events of the previous evening, it was most likely to be retaliation for Manure Mouth's broken nose.

Rachel quickly grabbed her snub-nose 38 from between the mattress and box spring and went to the door. She moved quietly on bare feet and peeked briefly through the peep hole.

It was Stevie. Rachel took a step back to think it over. Stevie didn't know where she lived. Rachel had never shared that information. She'd also never given Stevie her last name or her phone number. Stevie might have followed her home one night, but Rachel would be very surprised if she'd done that. Stevie was such an honorable sort.

While Rachel was trying to figure out what she was going to do about Stevie being outside her door, a paper was pushed under the door. Rachel leaned forward to look out the peep hole and saw Stevie walking away. She picked up the paper and set her gun on top of the console television.

Rachel sat down and considered the folded paper for a moment and then opened it.

I've done something that might anger you and I need to talk to you about it, but I don't know how best to do it without endangering you. I am going to hang out at the Starbuck's down the street for an hour or so. May I buy you a coffee? Please, don't be mad. It was kind of an accident. Love, Stevie.

Rachel's heart was racing, and her skin was prickling with cold. What had Stevie done? If she knew about the apartment, she might know everything. Rachel's cover was blown.

But how blown was it if Stevie was the one who figured it out? Rachel read the note again. If Stevie was worried about endangering her, maybe it wasn't that bad. The only way to assess the damage was to meet with Stevie and find out what she thought she knew and if anyone else knew.

Rachel studied her face in the mirror and couldn't see the blow she'd taken the night before. That was a relief. She took a quick shower and got dressed. Rachel walked down to Starbuck's. She spotted Stevie right away, but the young woman had her back to the door and didn't see Rachel enter. Rachel ordered a tall latte and walked over to the back corner booth.

She had every reason to be nervous, but she wasn't afraid. Rachel reached out and ran her hand through Stevie's hair. The young woman looked up at her with worried brown eyes. Rachel smiled at her. "Hi, baby."

Stevie's smile was sickly. "Hi. Is it safe to talk here?"

Rachel sat down across from Stevie and brushed her own hair back with her fingers. "Just talk softly and we should be okay. What's going on?"

Stevie twisted her fingers together and then twisted her neck until it popped. "Okay. I wasn't going to invade your privacy. I just wanted to know more about the club where you work. I kind of figured your secret was there and people keep secrets when they're afraid. I thought if I could figure out what you were afraid of, you wouldn't need to keep the secret with me anymore." Stevie sighed heavily. "I was missing you and I couldn't sleep."

Rachel still didn't know what Stevie knew, but she was certain that Stevie meant her no harm. "What did you find out?"

Stevie looked around cautiously and then leaned forward to whisper, "You're a police officer. The club has your name as Rachel Waine, but your real name is Rachel Joy Quinn. Did you know your name has all of the vowels, including Y, but only once?"

Rachel was shocked and charmed simultaneously. It left her speechless.

"Tall Bob had to help me," Stevie admitted softly, "but he won't say a word. He's afraid he'll end up in prison for hacking the DEA. Nobody keeps a secret like Tall Bob."

Everything had just turned upside down. "Whoa!" she said in an urgent whisper. "The DEA?"

Stevie let out a breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't know what you know, so I'm not sure what's important." She lifted a laptop case onto the table. "I've got a flash drive with everything on it if you want to check it out. I disabled the wireless, so this unit won't automatically hook up to any routers in the area. It's secure."

The import of what she was hearing suddenly fell on Rachel like a ton of bricks. The fact that Stevie appeared to have dropped into the middle of her case was scaring the crap out of her and it made her a little angry. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Are you completely out of your mind? People die over things like this, Stevie. This isn't a game or a reality show on television. You had no business interfering."

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't really expect to find anything and now I don't know what to do. That's why I came to you."

Stevie looked like someone had just stomped on her kitten. Rachel felt like a complete asshole. She reached out and grabbed Stevie's arm to explain. "I'm scared, baby. What am I going to do if something bad happens to you?"

Some of the guilt left Stevie's eyes. "I'm scared, too. I don't want to do something stupid and put you in danger. I don't think I could handle that. I'll do anything you tell me to, Rachel."

Rachel kept a hold of Stevie's arm while she thought things over. She could see Stevie's truck parked across the street. "I want you to get in your truck and drive away. I'm going to sit here and finish my coffee. Take the laptop with you and meet me in the alley behind this building in ten minutes. Assume someone is sitting out front watching the coffee shop. Can you do that?"

"Sure."

"Go then."

Stevie stood up and tossed the laptop case over her shoulder. "I'll be there. Be careful."

Rachel winked at her and watched her leave. She waited until Stevie drove away and then went outside to buy a newspaper. She glanced at her watch and sat back down in the booth. Rachel pretended to read the paper, but she was checking the street. Someone pulled up to the smoke shop across the street and the passenger ran inside. There was a man waiting behind the wheel of the car and Rachel saw her chance.

She left the newspaper on the table and headed for the employee exit.

"Hey! You can't go out that way."

Rachel stepped into the young man's personal space and put a quaver in her voice. "See that grey Chevy across the street?" His eyes shifted to the street and scanned the cars. It was clear when he found it. "The dark-haired guy in it is my ex. I have a restraining order out on him, but I don't want to call the police again. He'll just say he didn't know I was in here and the cops will let him go. Please, just let me sneak out the back and spare you cop cars hanging around till it's sorted out. Please?"

He caved like a beer can on a frat boy's forehead. Rachel patted his cheek as he let her out and he grinned like a five-year-old wearing a Superman cape. Twenty seconds after the door closed behind him, Stevie drove into the alley. Rachel made quick work of climbing inside. "Take a left out of the alley."

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'm still a little stunned."

"My shop is closed today, and I can park in back," Stevie offered.

"Okay. Let's do that."

As soon as they entered the back of Stevie's shop, Rachel wound her arms around Stevie's neck and kissed her like it was the last time. The kiss was hungry and deep, almost painful in its intensity.

Stevie abruptly pulled back and put a finger to Rachel's lip. "What's this?"

Rachel shook her head. "It's nothing."

Stevie frowned. "Please, don't lie to me. Let me see."

Rachel reluctantly let Stevie pull her lip down and look at the small injury. Her touch was so gentle it was almost heartbreaking. Stevie inspected her carefully and there were thunderclouds in her eyes when she was done.

"Someone hit you."

Rachel nodded. "Yes, but I hit him back. It's over. Let's deal with one thing at a time, okay?"

Tears filled Stevie's eyes and her bottom lip quivered. "I would never hit you. I'd rather die first."

"I know, baby." Rachel hugged Stevie close. This girl was a treasure and Rachel hoped she'd never have to let her go. "I'm okay. Let it go, Stevie. Let it go."

It took a few minutes for Stevie to relax, but when she did, she was in control of herself. "You should look at the flash drive. Maybe I've got information that will end this case and you can stop hanging out with scum bags. Come on."

The secure laptop was set up in Stevie's office and she accessed the information on the flash drive. "Do you want to know how we found everything or just the end results?" Stevie asked.

"Just the results," Rachel said as her eyes began to scan.

It took Stevie a half hour to present the results. It was staggering. "How long did all this take?"

"About three days minus work and sleep. Bob did most of it, but I don't want him to get in trouble. I'll take credit for everything."

"Let's worry about credit later. You don't have anything on Tawny."

Stevie pulled up a page. "She's working under the name of Elisa May Hawthorne, but her Driver's License and Social Security card are fakes. Didn't your department check those kinds of things?"

"Yes. Everyone came up clean. Well…not clean, but valid."

"Then they messed up. What about fingerprints?"

Rachel shook her head in the negative. "Tawny was considered a low probability. She didn't show up on anyone's radar."

"Bob is still working on figuring out who she is, but she's buried really deep. Can I ask what you're investigating?"

Rachel thought about it. "I'm sorry, baby. What you've learned on your own is one thing. I can't give you any more information without jeopardizing everything."

"Okay." Stevie closed out the program and detached the flash drive. "What do you want to do with this? Can you turn it in? Will it help your case?"

Rachel stared at Stevie while her mind worked things out. "I had a secret, but you figured it out. Are you okay with it?"

"With you being a cop?"

Rachel nodded.

"It depends. After this case is all over, can I still tell people you were a stripper when we met?"

Rachel had to chuckle. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

"I'm totally okay with it. The secret is a non-issue for me. You didn't have to warn me, but you did. I know that was risky for you. I won't say a word unless you say it's okay and Tall Bob will never talk about it. I know you don't have any reason to trust him, but I do."

"Okay." Rachel's mind was still sorting all the new information and it made her a little slow. Part of what was making her slow was her worry for Stevie. She wanted to protect her. "I think you and Bob should take this to the police. I can tell you who to go see."

Stevie made a doubting face. "What we did wasn't entirely legal. We could get in big trouble."

"Take a lawyer with you and ask for immunity before you turn over the drive. You'll have to admit to everything you did in order to have it covered by the deal, but I'll send a note with you telling them to take you seriously."

Stevie was shaking her head. "Bob will never go in. He's a good guy, but he doesn't trust cops. Actually, he doesn't trust anyone. Not just cops."

"Talk to a lawyer about it. Maybe Bob doesn't have to go in, but he should at least be covered. Cops really hate being lied to. If you took credit and then they found out later Bob was involved, they'd never leave you alone. Do you want the name of a lawyer?"

"That might be a good idea."

Rachel sat forward and brushed Stevie's hair around one ear. Cupping her face in one hand, she searched Stevie's eyes. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me."

"Stay away from the club and all the people who work there. As much as I would like to have you there, stay away from my apartment. Hopefully, this won't go on much longer. I'd still like to come see you tomorrow after I go shopping with Leona, and maybe we can do something on Tuesday. I don't have to work that day."

"Maybe I can cook you dinner?"

"You know how to cook?"

Stevie rolled her eyes. "I was a girl raised in the Mormon Church. I can cook, sew, change a baby's diaper, and clean a house like nobody's business. Yes, I can cook."

"Make me your specialty then."

Stevie laughed. "The guys love my mac 'n' cheese with hotdogs. I can do better than that."

"I should hope so."

Stevie leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss.

"Are we okay?" Stevie asked.

"Yes, baby."

"I was scared to death. I thought you were going to be so mad at me."

Rachel caressed Stevie's face. "Not mad. Just scared for you. This is the first time I've worked undercover, and I don't feel like I know what I'm doing. Taking care of myself is hard enough. I freaked out a little because I didn't think I could take care of you, too."

Stevie nodded. "I'll do my very best to stay out of the way. Just take care of yourself and everything will be okay."

Rachel shifted herself into Stevie's lap and wrapped her arms around the strong shoulders. Stevie's head fit right under her chin and Rachel buried her nose in the dark hair. Stevie held her tight and rocked the chair slightly.

"When this is over," Rachel said quietly, "I want to spend a whole weekend in your arms."

"I'd like that," Stevie sighed.

"Then I want you to meet my parents."

"Oh, boy."

Rachel smiled.

***

Stevie didn't waste any time calling the lawyer Rachel had recommended. The woman had suggested she make an appointment on Monday morning, but Stevie explained about Rachel recommending her. Melanie Nichols had gone very quiet and then asked, "When did you see Rachel?"

"Less than an hour ago," Stevie answered. "I know she's undercover. This is about that case. I have information for the police, but there's reason to think they might arrest me when I give it to them. I can explain all this much better in person."

Ms. Nichols gave her an address and told her to be there in a half hour. Stevie stopped at Dairy Queen and got herself a chocolate milkshake before going there. She stood by the door to the office building and waited. She had no idea what the lawyer was going to look like.

After a few minutes, a heavy-set red-headed woman in her fifties marched up to her. "Are you Stevie?"

She was a little afraid she was going to get bit. "Yes, ma'am."

Eyes raked her up and down. "You don't look like a criminal."

Stevie nearly choked on her milkshake. "I'm not! I swear!"

The woman snorted at her. "Come on."

Stevie followed Ms. Nichols inside and up two flights of stairs. The woman's name was on the door they finally entered. Stevie sat down when she was ordered and waited for Ms. Nichols to get settled.

"How do you intend to pay me?"

Stevie blinked. She hadn't even thought about that. "Will you take a check?"

"Is it any good?"

Stevie was feeling a little put out by this woman's manner. "Are you?"

The woman didn't even crack a smile. "Let's get something straight. I don't work on weekends and I find it hard to believe you know anything important. I think this is a big waste of my time. Say something good fast or I'm going back home to see what Netflix sent me."

Stevie didn't like Melanie Nichols, but Rachel said she was the best. "There's a guy pretending to be a dead DEA agent pouring drinks at a night club downtown. Rachel's working a case there, but the police don't know about him."

"So, tell them. What's this got to do with me?"

"My partner and I weren't completely legal about how we got information. We don't want to get arrested."

Melanie Nichols stared at her for a full minute. "Write me a check for one hundred dollars. Can you afford that?"

"Yes, ma'am." Stevie pulled out her checkbook and opened it. "There's a lot more information…"

"Don't tell me. I don't need to know. Where's your partner?"

Stevie looked up from her check. "I'll reveal his name when I'm sure he has immunity, but he can't be questioned."

"Why not?"

"He's socially autistic. He can barely convey his thoughts when he wants to. Having the police up in his face is going to make him mute. I have every move he made on a flash drive and I'll willingly walk the police through it, but he only did it because I asked him to, and I promised to keep him safe."

"You might not be able to keep him out of this."

Stevie stopped writing and stood up. "Maybe I'd better go find someone else. You're not the only lawyer in town."

Melanie Nichols finally smiled. "Alright, alright. Sit down."

"You'll help me protect him?"

"Yes."

Stevie sat back down and finished the check. Ms. Nichols gave her a receipt and made notes in a book. When she was done, she folded her hands over her belly and looked over her glasses at Stevie.

"For good or ill, I'm your attorney on this matter. You will not say one word to the police without my okay. Not even ten years from now. If you do, it will take hours and tons of paperwork to get your statements thrown out. Don't make me work that hard or I'll kick your ass. Understood?"

"What about Rachel?"

"Not even her."

Stevie felt sick to her stomach. "I don't think I can make that promise."

One eyebrow rose to alarming heights. "She is a police officer. You may not discuss the acquisition of your information with her. She will be legally bound to report it."

"Just the details of how we got the information?"

"For now."

"Rachel is my friend. I won't make a promise that means I can't talk to her at all. But if I just have to promise not to talk about hacking for information, I can do that."

"Is this hacking on-going?"

Stevie considered it. "Maybe."

"Stop it."

"There's one person we couldn't figure out. My partner might be working on it now. I'm not sure where he's checking."

"Call him right now and stop it."

"The information could be crucial to Rachel's safety."

"Then offer to investigate further after you come clean to the authorities. Do it with their blessing. I can't negotiate immunity for actions you haven't taken yet."

"Alright."

Stevie called Tall Bob and filled him in. All he wanted to know was whether or not the police were coming to his apartment. Stevie told him truthfully that it wasn't likely, but it might be a good idea to prepare just in case. When she hung up, Ms. Nichols was constructing a document on the computer. Stevie sat quietly while she worked, but she couldn't help judging the woman's computer system.

"What are you doing?"

Stevie had been determining the make and model of the tower. She sat up with a shrug. "Just checking out your system."

"And?"

"I could hack it with my iPhone right now."

"I've got firewalls set up."

"Uh huh."

The lawyer's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I have critically sensitive information on my computer. I pay through the nose every month for IT support and security. If you can hack my computer from your phone, I'll give you your money back."

Stevie was interested. "I'll make you a deal. If I can hack you from my phone, you'll hire my company for your IT for half that, provided you buy the system I tell you to buy for your entire office. It'll cost you, but you'll be able to sleep at night."

"Your company?"

"I own and operate Optimal Computer Diagnostics. We're small, but we're the best."

Ms. Nichols sat back in her chair with a curious look on her face. "I've got four desktops and three laptops on my network. What would something like that cost me?"

Stevie did some math in her head and made a mental note to hire a new person soon. "Bare minimum…twelve grand. But I'd recommend closer to fifteen. That includes servers, networking equipment, installation, personalization, peripherals and complete file transfer. Not to mention that we'll be here within the hour every time you have a problem or question…if we can't just resolve the problem remotely. I'll even throw in any required re-training of your staff and quarterly security evaluations."

"Provided you don't get scooped up by the Feds and buried in a deep, dark hole for hacking the DEA, I'm willing to negotiate a new contract with your company. First you have to prove you can break through my firewalls."

Stevie pulled out her phone with a grin and went to work. Ms. Nichols didn’t need to know that she knew the password format her current IT people used. It shouldn’t take too long to figure out how they had personalized it for this office.

***

They were sitting in the lobby of the local Police Department and Stevie was feeling pretty good. She broken into the law firm's computer system in seven and a half minutes. Of course, she was only deep enough to see the files on the server. She did not have permissions to view or change those files, but it was enough to horrify Ms. Nichols. When she had demanded that Stevie do something immediately to secure her system, she'd disconnected all of the computers in the office from the internet. It took a few minutes to convince her that was all she had to do.

"Hey," Stevie said abruptly. "I thought of another possible component of our contract…if we make one."

Melanie Nichols was still pale. "Seven and a half minutes."

That's all the woman had said for the last half hour. Stevie ignored it. "Maybe you should be my on-call lawyer. Not that I think I'll need one very often, but you never know. I already have a financial advisor slash attorney on retainer, so I wouldn't be asking you to read contracts for me. It would just be in case I get into trouble when I least expect it."

"Seven and a half minutes."

Stevie leaned over to make eye contact with her lawyer. "Do you want to time me on how fast I can hack into the system here?"

"No!" Ms. Nichols hissed.

Stevie grinned. "I could do it. They might notice, but I could do it."

"Don't even joke about it."

"Alright." Stevie rubbed her hands together. "Do you know why we've been waiting for an hour? Is something wrong?"

"Good question. Don't go anywhere. And don't hack anything."

Stevie had Ms. Nichols' measure now. She folded her arms in a pout. "You don't let me have any fun." She got a glare in response and then Ms. Nichols went back up to the counter. Stevie smiled to herself. Coming alone would have been terrifying. She would have to thank Rachel later for suggesting Melanie Nichols.

***

Work was busy Saturday night, but it was boring. Rachel was hypersensitive to the nuances around her, but there weren't many to pick up on. Candy was more cordial than usual, but that might have been because of the encounter in the park. Rachel returned the courtesy and felt the unspoken competition between the two of them ease. Everyone else was acting perfectly normal.

The only tough moment was when Tom cornered her to ask if she was okay. Rachel assured him that she was.

"You waved me off," he accused with a hurt tone. "How can I be your back-up if you won't tell me when you've been attacked?"

"I just got slapped in the face, Tom. It wasn't a deliberate snub. I just didn't think there was anything you could do about it at that point."

"If I had known, I would have had your apartment guarded more aggressively. Sometimes these people act like rabid wolves. Fighting back and busting noses can trigger all kinds of ugliness. You shouldn't have been alone last night."

"I'm sorry," Rachel admitted. "I honestly wasn't trying to snub you."

"I get that. Look, I know we didn't get off to a good start, but I want to do the right thing by you. I need to know what's going on as soon as possible in order to do that."

Moira was watching them curiously from the bar. It was making Rachel nervous. Leaning her shoulders back against the wall, she pulled Tom a little closer and wrapped a leg around his with a seductive smile. "Actually, there's a lot of new information you need to know about, but I don't think this is a good place to pass it on. I'm pretty sure it's being explained to the brass as we speak. Maybe we could meet up after work and I can fill you in."

Tom smiled back at her, but his eyes glittered. "Give me the cliff notes."

Rachel traced the line of his jaw with a fingertip and tried not to laugh at herself. "Dennis has the ID of a dead DEA agent. Tawny doesn't exist. Moira is Gary's niece and she secretly owns a quarter of the club. Candy is taking meds for Chlamydia. How's that?"

Tom blinked twice. "Would you be comfortable with me coming by your apartment tonight?"

Rachel reached around to squeeze his ass and slipped under his arm. "Catch you later."

The rest of the evening went smoothly. Rachel was glad when it ended. There was no package in her locker-to her great relief-and she dressed quickly. Rachel was usually one of the last to leave, but she was the first tonight. She was exhausted and she still had to fill Tom in on the new information.

There was another handwritten note on her floor when she got home.

Mission accomplished. MN is a hoot. Can't wait to see you. Love you, Stevie.

Rachel smiled. It was unlikely there was another person on the planet who would call Melanie Nichols a hoot. The woman was a Rottweiler/Cobra hybrid. She was the toughest, most devious lawyer Rachel knew. She was the only lawyer she could trust with Stevie's protection.

She was checking the refrigerator for food when Tom arrived. She opened the door and waved him in. "Make yourself comfortable, Tom. Are you hungry? I'm thinking about making pancakes. Want some?"

"Sure." He sat down cautiously at the little dining table and slowly relaxed. "So how did you get your information?"

Rachel talked while she mixed the batter. "Remember Stevie Marks?"

"The girl…"

"My lap dance, yes. I was ordered to look more closely at her and her friends."

"I remember."

"You know that saying about looking into the abyss? Well, she looked back."

"What does that mean?"

Rachel poured pancake mix into the pan before answering. "She got curious about me and started digging. She's a computer whiz. She came by my apartment today, but I never told her where I lived. She knew about me and you being cops."

Tom stood up.

"Sit down," she ordered with the spatula. Rachel waited for him to obey. "She realized she was in over her head and she came to me to ask what she should do. I told her to turn herself in and tell them everything."

"Did she?"

"Yes."

"Are we blown?"

"I don't think so, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Rachel flipped the first cake. "I'm not worried about Stevie. She's a truly good person. I mean, of all the things she could have done after finding all that out, she came to me and showed me everything. I know you don't know her, but if someone had to find out about us, I'm glad it was her."

They talked easily about what the new information could mean and how to use it to their advantage while Rachel made a platter of golden pancakes. She warmed up the syrup and set butter out on the table. Rachel poured both of them a tall glass of cold milk and then sat down with Tom to eat. It was the first time she'd had company in the apartment, and it wasn't bad.

Tom stayed for over an hour and when he left, Rachel felt like she had a partner for the first time.

***

Lunch with her family was strange. Stevie could tell that something was wrong. Her dad and her brother, Sam, hardly said a word beyond polite requests for food dishes. Her mother and Rory were very relaxed and talkative. Stevie was almost afraid to ask what was going on, so she waited until after lunch was over and she was helping her mother clean up.

"Why are Dad and Sam so quiet?"

"It's nothing to worry about, dear."

"And now I'm really worried," Stevie said with a touch of sarcasm.

Rory got up from the table and joined them in the kitchen. "Mom and Dad are fighting."

"We're not fighting," her mother denied calmly. "I'm merely waiting for him to grow up and join the human race."

Stevie stared at her mother in disbelief. "Is this about me?"

"You might think so," her mother admitted, "but I think it's more about your father and me. Like I said, it's really nothing for you to worry about. I've got it under control."

Rory was standing behind his mom, strangling himself silently. Stevie took that to mean her parents were really going at it. Clearly, Sam was taking Dad's side and Rory was taking Mom's. Stevie didn't want there to be sides at all. "I don't want my life choices to come between you and Dad."

Her mother rinsed her hands off and faced Stevie. "A very small part of this is related to you. Most of the problem has nothing to do with you. Your father and I have had difficult times before and we made it through. We'll make it through this as well. I understand that all of you have a stake in what happens, but this is between your father and me. As such, it's not your business to poke into the details…unless you want us poking into your relationships?"

Stevie and Rory both shook their heads.

"That's what I thought. You'll just have to trust us to work it out. Go on with the both of you. I'll finish this up."

Her mom had that tone…the one that suggested shutting up was a wise choice. Stevie risked a brief hug and then went outside with her little brother. "How bad is it?"

Rory shrugged. "I've heard them a couple of times. I think I understand what a power struggle is now."

"A power struggle?"

"Yeah. Dad thinks he has all the power and mom has to do what he says. She gets all stubborn and logical and it's making him nuts."

Stevie looked back over her life. "Well, she used to do what he wanted."

"Mom says that's only because she wanted to do it in the first place. Now she doesn't."

"What is it she doesn't want to do?"

"Stop loving you."

Stevie stopped walking and struggled not to cry.

"If he can make her stop loving you, he can make her stop loving me, too. I'm rooting for mom."

Stevie brushed at a tear and looked at Rory. "Dad won't stop loving you."

"He might." Rory kicked at a stone in the dirt. "I'm not going on a mission."

Stevie was blindsided. "Why not?"

"I don't want to. And I don't want to go to BYU either. I want to go to school in California and take marine biology."

This was the first she'd heard about any of this. "Marine biology? How long have you been thinking about this?"

"A couple of years. I want to learn how to dive, and I want to know what I'm looking at. The ocean is so cool. It takes up seventy percent of the earth and we know more about the moon. I want to take engineering, too. The coral reefs are in trouble and I want to help rebuild them. If I can."

Stevie was impressed. She knew that his inheritance from their grandparents would cover any school he wanted to go to. "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I think it would be cool to have a marine engineer for a little brother."

Rory grinned at her. "Now that you mention it, I could use a really smashin' computer for school."

Stevie raised an eyebrow. "Alright. I'll build a laptop for you that blows everyone away."

"Promise?"

Stevie stuck her little finger out and smiled when he curled his own around it. She pulled him into a hug. "If things get too uncomfortable here, you can come sleep on my couch. But not today or Tuesday."

"Why not?"

Stevie wiggled her eyebrows at him. "None of your business."

Stevie just smiled at him.

***

Continued

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