Double Play (Bishop's Run Series Book 2)

by B. D. Gates

  "You can't ride in this, so you're staying the night. You can sleep on the couch."

  Hatch looked over at it, thinking that it wasn't a couch, not really, it was more of an overstuffed loveseat, but refrained from commenting. Penny disappeared down the hall without a word and Hatch, after pulling off her boots, laid down, her legs bent at the knees, arms crossed over her chest, her head on the armrest as she tried to make herself fit the couch's dimensions.

  Penny returned, carrying a pillow and blanket, and saw Hatch crammed onto the loveseat. She stood there, just looking, thinking that the Fates were obviously fucking with her, those three Evil Witches knowing that since she had decided to focus on her new life and nothing else, which, of course, meant no women, they just had to go and put one in her way, a gorgeous one at that, and now she was on her couch no less, because why not?

  Why the fuck not?

  "I hate you," she whispered.

  Hatch opened her eyes. "What?"

  "Not you," Penny clarified. She sighed. "C'mon."

  Hatch followed her down the hall to her bedroom, was once again impressed by the beauty of it, the queen-sized fourposter with captain's drawers, the soft light cast from the brass hurricane lamps on the paneled walls. She put a hand out and ran it down the bedpost, marvelling at the smoothness of it.

  "Give me a minute," Penny said, disappearing into the bathroom behind the sliding pocket door. She was back out a few minutes later, wearing a t-shirt with a Tenley Pride logo and boxer shorts. "There's a towel and washcloth and a toothbrush on the sink for you," she said as she passed Hatch and crawled into the bed, pulling up the covers. "Turn the light out when you're done."

  A questioning look passed over Hatch's face at that but she nodded and went into the bathroom. She washed her face, then loaded the toothbrush, looking around while she brushed, shaking her head at the craftsmanship in this funny little trailer in the woods. When she finished, she turned out the light and made her way towards the bedroom door.

  "Hatch."

  "Ma'am?"

  Penny smiled in spite of herself. Always so damned polite. "Where are you going?"

  "The couch."

  "Just come to bed."

  Hatch nodded in the dark and retraced her footsteps, took off her jeans and crawled in next to Penny.

  Penny turned on her side, away from Hatch but, after a minute, moved back against the warmth of her body. Hatch tentatively laid an arm across Penny's belly and, when there was no rebuff, pulled her closer.

  The rain drummed on the roof as Hatch drifted off in the warm comfort.

  Penny's voice broke through the darkness.

  "Don't think this changes anything."

  Hatch's eyes opened wide to that.

  78

  Sunlight woke Hatch and she took a few minutes to gather her thoughts, smiling at the still-sleeping Penny curled under her arm. The girl was stubborn, and hard-headed, and smart, and quick, and everything that had ever been said about Hatch herself, except Penny was maybe twice as much.

  Hatch thought that Karma, the bitch that she can be, was paying her back for oh, so many things, putting this woman in her path.

  Slipping out of bed, Hatch grabbed her jeans and pulled them on before making her way to the kitchen. She stopped short at the doorway when she saw Jacks sitting at the bar eating a bowl of cereal, reading the back of the box as she chewed.

  "Hi," said Jacks, looking up briefly and giving a single wave with her spoon before returning to her reading.

  "Uh...hi," Hatch replied.

  Jacks looked back up at Hatch, swallowing her mouthful before she spoke again. "You're the woman from the restaurant."

  Hatch cocked her head, a questioning look on her face. "And you are...?"

  "I'm Jacks."

  That didn't really help.

  "Okay. I'm Hatch."

  "Hi, Hatch. Nice to meet you."

  "How did you get in?"

  "I have a key."

  "So, you do this often?"

  "Often enough. Penny still asleep?"

  "Yeah."

  "That your bike out there? That's a beauty."

  "Yeah. Thanks."

  "Penny left her car somewhere?"

  "Uh, yeah, at somebody's house. In town. I was going to make coffee, then wake her up so that I could take her to get it. I have to be at work soon."

  "Making coffee's a nice touch. She'd appreciate that, she's a little cranky without it. She likes it strong, by the way. It's in the cupboard next to the refrigerator. Use the water in the jug in the fridge, the well water isn't good for drinking, even though it's filtered."

  Hatch blinked at the extent of Jacks' knowledge. "Are you two...?"

  Jacks picked up on the inference. "What? A couple? Oh, no, she's my best friend. We decided a while back that we didn't want to ruin that in case we didn't work out."

  Hatch understood that and nodded. She opened the cabinet and set about making coffee. When she was through, she turned and leaned against the counter, watched Jacks finish her cereal.

  "So, you said I'm 'the woman from the restaurant.' Did Penny tell you about me?"

  "I was there. She resisted you for as long as she could."

  "Resisted me?"

  "She couldn't take her eyes off you."

  "Really."

  "Yep. Remarkable. I'm not surprised that she'd hook up with you again."

  Hatch smiled a bit at that and shook her head. "No. She's mad with me."

  "Oh, don't worry, it'll pass."

  "So, that hard outer shell is just for show?"

  "Oh, no, dude, she's totally hardcore. What you see is what you get, honestly. She's just...well, you've got to bank some trust with her before she lets her guard down."

  Hatch wondered how she could bank any trust if Penny wouldn't give her a chance.

  Jacks just rambled on. "She's better, though, her last relationship helped her a lot, I think, even though she knew it was only temporary."

  "Her last relationship. With Baxter?"

  "You know Baxter?"

  "Yeah, well, through...a mutual friend."

  "Huh. Well, they were practically living together. Bax wouldn't commit, though, wouldn't give up her place and move in with her. Penny thought Bax was waiting for Tess. She was right."

  "Penny knew?"

  "Yeah, she knew Tess would be back."

  "Huh."

  "Yep. Still stung her, though."

  Hatch suddenly realized that before she had even met Penny, she'd hurt her when she told Tess to go home, and her heart clenched with that thought.

  "At least she didn't fall back into her old ways."

  Hatch looked puzzled. "Her old ways."

  "She said you were her 'last,' no more picking up women. The time with Bax and the new job have made the difference for her, I think she was just bored as hell at her old job, there was no challenge for her, but this new job, well, it has everything she needs to keep her out of trouble."

  "Ha!" That just sprang from Hatch. She was as surprised by it as Jacks.

  Jacks narrowed her eyes at Hatch. "What's that mean?"

  "Well, uh, let's just say that's not exactly accurate. And leave it at that."

  "Wait--you work with her?"

  "Yep."

  "What'd she do?"

  Hatch debated telling Jacks, there was a pause, but it was broken by Penny, who stood leaning on the hallway door jamb, her arms crossed.

  "I saved her partner's life."

  Hatch, her back to Penny, grimaced and closed her eyes to that.

  "You can go now, Hatch, Jacks can take me to my car."

  Hatch had turned, was looking at Penny's face, devoid of expression, flat, and every bit of hope Hatch had in gaining ground with her evaporated in a flash. She just nodded and walked around the bar to the couch, pulled on her boots, then headed for the door, looking back at the two women as she opened it.

  "Nice meeting you, Jacks."

  "Same, Hatch."

 
; Hatch shut the door behind her and went down the steps of the porch, coming to a standstill as she looked around, noted the beauty of the woods and the water, the wet, sweet smell of the pines and the earth.

  How could she convince Penny that she'd known she was special the moment they'd looked into each other's eyes across that diner, and that there was nothing she could do or say that would change that.

  Hatch sighed as she brushed the raindrops off the saddle of the Harley, straddled the seat and started the engine, then made her way down the secluded drive towards Tenley.

  79

  "Penny, what the hell is wrong with you?"

  Penny didn't answer, her back to Jacks as she poured her cup of coffee and took a sip.

  "Seriously. This is the woman who absolutely knocked you on your ass that night at Johnson's, Fate literally drops her into your lap, and you're acting like a pure bitch to her. What is your problem?"

  "Jacks, just stop. I don't want to talk about it."

  "Well, I do, and you need to talk about it because I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why you're acting like this. So, spill it. Tell me why you're doing this."

  Penny turned and looked at Jacks. "She's...she's stubborn, and hard-headed, she doesn't listen..."

  "You're all those things, too, Penny. Every one of 'em. Tell me the truth."

  Penny stepped to the bar and put her coffee on the countertop. "This is not how I saw it, how I wanted it to go, Jacks. I have a new job, a new life, I made a promise to myself to be better. And the minute I make that declaration, here she is. And it's just...she's just...damned problematic."

  Jacks looked at Penny, saw her looking as vulnerable as she'd ever seen her.

  "What really scares you, Penny?"

  Penny shook her head and sighed. "Jacks, the first time I saw her...have you ever looked at someone and you knew, you just knew that this person was special, was going to be someone special in your life?"

  "Yep, Penny, I have. You. When I met you. I knew you were there for a reason, and not just to buy me an egg bagel and coffee that morning, you were special, too. I wasn't scared of you, though, I opened up to you, and I don't do that, not like I did that day. So, what is really going on with Hatch?"

  "Jacks, I can't even describe how she makes me feel."

  "You mean unsettled and irritable?"

  "Very funny. She makes me feel...excited and scared and I don't even know why. So, how do I let her go? Because she's going to leave, Jacks. At the end of the assignment, she'll be gone."

  Jacks looked at Penny, saw the truth and the pain in her eyes. "Okay, then what if she's not here for you? Maybe you're here for her. That you've got something to give her before she goes. Ever think of that?"

  She circled the bar and took Penny in her arms, held her tight. "Baby Girl, no one knows how long anyone will be in their life, you take what you can get and you love them for however long they're here, and you give thanks for having that time with them."

  Penny wiped the tears from her eyes. "Jacks, this one's different," she whispered. "She is. And I can't even tell you why. I just know that it's going to hurt."

  Jacks nodded at that, simply because she'd never seen Penny so torn up over anyone, not even Baxter. "Well, okay, I understand self-preservation and all that, but you still have to work with her, see her, how do you expect to do that?"

  Penny shrugged at that. "I don't know."

  "Penny, listen to me. Don't do anything you'll regret later. Ya hear?"

  80

  Tess and Hatch met with Captain Huff late Tuesday morning to discuss the joint task force and the use of motor pool vehicles for the surveillance.

  The captain was none too keen on the idea when he was told the reason for the requests.

  "Are you telling me that your targets may already know they're being watched? I don't like the sound of that, Agent Hatcher, I don't deliberately put my people in harm's way, and that does not make me very eager to sign on to this."

  Hatch frowned at that. She really couldn't dispute his discomfort.

  Tess leaned forward towards Cap. "Sir, we'll be able to observe from a safe distance. There are local take-outs and convenience stores at various points along the roadway, where sitting in a vehicle would not draw suspicion."

  Cap leaned back in his chair, his hand to his chin while he chewed on that.

  "Alright," he said, "here's what I will agree to. You have full access to the motor pool for one week. You will report to me one week from today and give me a status update on the operation. I will reassess and decide at that time if this department will continue to be involved, based on the information you provide."

  Hatch stood up. She knew the meeting was over and there was not going to be any further negotiation with Captain Huff. "Thank you, sir. The DEA appreciates your assistance in this matter."

  "Yes, well, we'll see. One week."

  Tess stood at that and the two left Cap's office.

  "Okay, so, we've got a week to pull this shit together," Hatch remarked as they took the stairs down to the first floor. "That's not much time. I haven't seen any of the video or stills from last night, Kane was working on those, I don't know if Nichols was in that group or not. If I can get eyes on him, we can hook up other teams to follow him wherever he goes when he's not here."

  "Well, then let's hope he turns up."

  81

  Penny was at her desk when Hatch and Tess entered the bullpen. She looked up at the two coming through the door and immediately returned her attention to the electronics she was unboxing at her desk.

  "Penny, Cap has given us use of the motor pool, I'll give Kane a call and tell him to start pulling equipment. Can he call you if he needs your help?" Hatch had walked over to Penny's desk, her tone and expression flat as she asked that question.

  "Oh, uh, yeah, sure," Penny answered, her look quick and not holding Hatch's gaze. Hatch handed over her phone and Penny punched in the numbers. Tess knew firsthand that Hatch could have memorized them and she frowned when Hatch didn't make that offer.

  Tess felt a pang in her heart as she watched Penny stonewall Hatch.

  Hatch took her phone back from Penny then turned to leave, stopping at Tess's desk to tell her that she'd call later in the day to visit the motor pool with Kane. Tess nodded at that and watched Hatch walk out, quietly closing the door behind her.

  "So, Penny, what was that all about?" Tess stood at the edge of Penny's desk, asking the question in a low voice.

  "What?"

  "It seems I'm not the only killer in this room," Tess replied.

  Tess turned back to her own desk and sat down, picked up her phone and called the motor pool to let the officer on duty know that they'd be over to choose vehicles to use in their surveillance later in the day.

  "Well. Damn, Tess," thought Penny.

  Jacks' words were ringing in her ears.

  82

  Kane and Hatch had parked the cars on the side street next to the carriage house and Kane began fitting equipment into the first vehicle to be used. He had called Penny to give him a hand in installing the electronics because she was small and could crawl into the trunk, get her hands into the smaller pass-throughs.

  Kane and Penny weren't through with the installation in time for the stake-out that evening, hitting a few snags that required some thought for the work-arounds.

  Hatch reversed her earlier decision to lay low. She and Tess would handle the watch that night, Hatch taking the surveillance photos through a digital camera with a telephoto lens. Penny lit up at the sight of that camera when Hatch uncased and inspected it. Hatch smiled the slightest bit as she handed it to Penny and let her look it over.

  They discussed lighting, aspect ratios and f/stops, Hatch telling her that, while she was not nearly as good as Penny, she'd spent a fair amount of time practicing photography after she'd moved to Richmond. Penny nodded and smiled as Hatch talked about walking around snapping photos, going out early and staying out late, seeing the c
ity through the viewfinder as the shadows moved across the skyline.

  *****

  Tess and Hatch were in Tess's red sedan, parked in the back parking lot of the fast-food restaurant next to Charlie's business, the landscaped bushes and small trees on a raised strip between the two lots providing them cover. They'd eaten the dinners that Hatch had bought to provide them legitimate cover for the stake-out and now they had settled back, watching and waiting.

  They looked like an average couple on a date.

  "Gawd, it's hot," Hatch remarked. "You'd think once the sun went down, it'd be cooler, but no. Don't let me forget to throw out the trash before it gets forgotten and stinks up your car."

  Tess laughed. "Yes, thank you, or I won't let you eat in here any more. It is summer, Hatch. The fourth of July is next week, you know."

  "Oh, crap, seriously?" Hatch gave it some thought. "Yeah, I guess it is. Time flies, doesn't it?"

  Tess nodded at that.

  At nine o'clock, Charlie locked up and turned out the lights, then got in his truck and drove away from the business. Hatch looked at Tess and shook her head.

  "Not gonna be anything tonight. Let's just stay for a while to make sure, though, okay?"

  "Sure."

  Hatch moved her seat back and stretched out her legs, getting comfortable for the duration. Tess picked up her phone and texted Bishop, giving her an update and asking if Kane and Penny had worked out the equipment issues.

  Her phone buzzed with a response from Bishop, telling her that the first car was ready for use and that she'd leave the porch light on for her. Tess smiled as she replied to that.

  Watching Tess out of the corner of her eye, Hatch confirmed for herself that Tess was much happier in Tenley than she had been in Richmond. Even though she had no idea the havoc her advice would led to in other people's lives, and by that she mostly meant Penny's, she still felt right in telling Tess to "go home."

  Now, she wished someone would tell her what to do about her own life.