Chapter 9: Just In The Line Of Duty
Chapter 9:
Sun streamed in the window as a new day in Harmony dawned. Sheridan stirred slightly as she felt the warmth of the sun on her face. She fluttered her eyes open, feeling more refreshed than she had in weeks. She glanced at her unfamiliar surroundings, then felt a warm body wrapped around her. Her face lit up as she realized she’d spent the night in the arms of the man she loved. She could feel his rhythmic breathing on her neck as he peacefully slept. She felt chills go through her body each time he took a breath.
Sheridan gently rolled over to face him. She smiled as she watched him sleeping, thinking how perfectly content she would be to stay here forever. She lightly placed a hand on his face and traced its contours as if trying to commit them to memory. She felt him move and removed her hand not wanting to wake him up, but it was too late. “You didn’t have to stop you know,” he said groggily as his eyes slowly opened. “I was rather enjoying it.” Luis managed a sleepy smile as his eyes came in to focus. The first thing he saw was Sheridan smiling at him. “I can’t remember the last time I slept this well,” he said. “I think I’ll have my doctor order you to stay here every night. We can call it an alternative to a sleeping pill,” he laughed.
“Luis, if I stayed here every night, I somehow doubt I’d be able to let you sleep at all,” she said with a suggestive grin. Luis felt his heart begin to pound at her suggestion. “Oh really, Sheridan? And what would you be doing to keep me from sleeping?” He asked mischievously. “I’m not sure exactly,” she said as she began caressing his face again. “I just know I couldn’t be this close to you every night and just let you sleep.” Sheridan’s heart was beating rapidly, as she lay there so close to Luis. She could still feel his breath on her, but it was no longer rhythmic. His breathing seemed to be faster than before and now was driving her crazy. After a few moments, she couldn’t take it anymore and leaned in, kissing him gently on the lips.
Luis felt like he’d been struck by a bolt of lightening as he felt the electricity charge through his body. He instantly pulled her close to him and kissed her back. This time Sheridan was the one to part their lips, deepening their kiss. This caused Luis to moan with pleasure. Hearing Luis moan sent shivers through her body. Sheridan immediately lost herself in the kiss. She’d enjoyed kissing other men in the past, but NEVER was the one to initiate such a kiss. She couldn’t remember even wanting to kiss a man so desperately.
Luis pulled Sheridan on top of him, which caused Sheridan to catch her breath. She couldn’t control how excited she was becoming, so she returned to kissing him wildly. Luis was completely caught up in the moment. He felt their body heat rising and began to let his hands run free over her body. He slipped his hand under the sweatshirt and gasped as he felt the silky smooth skin underneath. He caressed her back with one hand, the other moving its way up her side. Luis’ hand worked its way up to her chest. As his hand touched her breast, Sheridan moaned loudly. She lifted her head for a moment and looked at Luis in a way she’d never looked at another man. She saw a fire in his eyes, mimicking her own, which only caused her to get more excited.
Luis now was massaging her chest, sending waves of pleasure through Sheridan’s body. She leaned over and returned to kissing him, with more ferocity than before. Luis returned her kiss with equal passion and quickened his massaging the more caught up he became. Suddenly they heard a pounding at the door. “Luis? LUIS? LUIS! WAKE UP! Sam’s on the phone!” Theresa yelled. Sheridan rolled off Luis and the two sat up breathless and completely frustrated. “I’ll be there in a minute,” Luis called back, trying to hide the fact he was out of breath. “I’m sorry,” he said looking longingly at Sheridan. “It’s all right Luis,” Sheridan said as she began composing herself. “Go talk to Sam.”
Luis smiled at her. He desperately wanted to kiss her before he left, but decided he’d not be able to stop if he did. He walked out of the room, still slightly short of breath. Luis walked downstairs and decided to use the phone in the kitchen, so he could make some coffee at the same time. He picked up the phone. “I have it Theresa,” he said completely composed now. He heard the phone click and said, “Good morning Sam. So much for letting me sleep in?” “I’m sorry about that buddy,” Sam apologized, “But Interpol is here and they want to talk to you and Sheridan as soon as you can get here.” “It’s all right Sam. I wasn’t asleep anyway.” Luis grinned to himself as he thought about what he was doing. “Sheridan and I will be there as soon as we can.”
“Thanks, Luis. I’ll see you when you get here. Bye.” Sam hung the phone up. Luis, as well, placed the phone in its cradle and finished making coffee. He waited for it to brew and returned to his room with two fresh cups. He handed Sheridan her cup and said, “Sam wants us both at the station as soon as possible.” “O.K. Sheridan agreed. “Luis we’re forgetting, I have no clothes! I can’t possibly go dressed like this! And I can’t stomach the thought of putting those clothes back on I wore for the last two days!” “Maybe Theresa has something you can wear,” Luis suggested.
Sheridan nodded in agreement. After a few mouthfuls of coffee, Luis took her to Theresa’s room. Luis knocked lightly on Theresa's door. She answered it almost immediately. “Did you two sleep well?” She greeted, grinning at them.
“We slept fine, thank you,” Luis retorted with light sarcasm. “Listen, Theresa,” Luis continued before Theresa continued her quest to embarrass them, “Sheridan and I need to get down to the station. All of her clothes are still in Paris and we were wondering if you had something she could wear?” “Sure, Sheridan,” Theresa said happily. “Come on in and we’ll find something for you.” “Thank you Theresa,” Sheridan said gratefully. “I’m going to shower while you ladies look through clothes. I’ll make it quick so you can shower when you’re ready.” Luis hurriedly exited the room and went to shower. Theresa went through her closet with Sheridan and they looked for something that would fit her. They agreed a dress or skirt would be easier as Sheridan was taller than Theresa. Finally they decided on a short navy blue skirt and a white form-fitting sweater.
Theresa helped Sheridan get some towels from the linen closet in the hall as Luis emerged from the shower wearing a towel around his waist. His upper body was still dripping wet and his hair tousled from a towel having been hastily run through it. He saw Theresa and Sheridan and smiled at them, “Ladies,” he said and then went into his room to get dressed. Sheridan just gawked at him with her mouth opened. Seeing him like that brought back memories of her accidentally walking in on him in the men's locker room at the Youth Center and the time in Santa Fe they each opened the connecting door thinking it was a closet. Theresa laughed as she watched Sheridan’s expression. “What’s the matter Sheridan, haven’t you ever seen Luis in a towel before?”
Actually I did once, but I don’t remember him looking like THAT!” She said almost as if she were hypnotized. Theresa grinned as she handed Sheridan her towels and took her clothes from her. “You take your shower and I’ll put these in Luis’ room for you when he’s finished changing.” “Thanks Theresa,” Sheridan said as she came out of her trance. She then headed into the bathroom and showered. Ivy and Ethan walked through the front door to the Crane Mansion. Ivy escorted Ethan into the living room, sitting him in a chair. “Are you sure you’re all right, Ethan?” Ivy asked. “Why wouldn’t he be all right?” Julian asked sarcastically as he waltzed into the living room. “You’d know if you hadn’t been out gallivanting all night with one of your little floozies, Julian,” Ivy snarled.
“Isn’t it a bit early in the morning for you to be this testy, Ivy darling?” Julian asked with a venomous smile. “For your information, JU-LI-AN, Ethan has been in the hospital all night,” Ivy retorted sarcastically. “Don’t you even know what goes on in your own house?” Julian was seething at this point. Ivy did have the upper hand, as he had no idea what had been going on. He had been out frolicking, but wasn’t about to tell her that. “I had an overnight business trip;” Julian lied with his face indignant. “So do tell me what has happened here.” “Ethan was shot with a tranquillizer gun,” Ivy told him scathingly. “I can’t believe you have no idea what happened here?” Ivy laughed bitterly. “Maybe you should read the newspaper with your morning brandy, Julian. You might find it interesting.”
Julian retreated to the foyer and found the paper in it’s usual spot and returned to the living room. He quickly scanned the front page. His mouth dropped open as he began to read the events of the previous day. “This is preposterous!” He scowled. “I don’t believe any of this! Drug lords, after Sheridan? Kidnapping? What the hell has been going on here?” “Luis saved Sheridan, Father,” Ethan offered. “He flew to Paris on a gut instinct and saved her life. When she refused to come back to the States with him, he kidnapped her because the drug lords were still after her. Sheridan was angry with him for kidnapping her and had him arrested. She later dropped the charges, which was a good thing, because the drug lords followed her to Harmony and tried to kill her again. Luis again saved Sheridan, this time arresting the two men responsible.”
Julian stood there speechless. “What’s the matter, Julian,” Ivy prodded, “Cat got your tongue?” Julian shot Ivy a wicked look and stormed off to his library shouting, “Father will hear about this at once.” Ethan sat there with a confused look on his face. “Why is Father so angry? He should be pleased that Luis saved Sheridan’s life.” “I know, darling,” Ivy said, “But Julian in his infinite wisdom, believes Luis isn’t good enough for Sheridan. He’s afraid they will get back together now,” She said coldly. “That’s ridiculous, Mother,” Ethan said angrily. “I hope Sheridan and Luis do get together. She could never find another man who would risk his own life and spend every last cent he had to save her life. I for one will do everything I can to help them out.”
Ivy smiled proudly at her son. “Good for you Ethan,” she said. Julian just arrived in his study when his private line rang. He pushed the button to the speakerphone and said, “Julian Crane here.” “Julian, Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you since last night,” boomed the voice of Alistair Crane. “Father, What a pleasant surprise,” Julian said smiling weakly. “Surprise maybe, pleasant no,” Alistair said. “I told you I wanted you a phone call away at all times.” “I’m sorry Father,” Julian said. I had it with me, I guess I just forgot to turn it on.” “Don’t let it happen again, Julian,” Alistair warned. “This is the last warning you will receive on this matter. Do you understand?” “Yes Father,” Julian gulped.
“Now, onto other matters. We have another problem. Your sister Sheridan is back in town. She’s also highly mixed up with Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald again.” “Yes Father,” Julian said. “It seems he saved her life several times.” “Well that’s where it ends. I have a plan to keep Sheridan away from Luis for a long time,” Alistair said. “What is it Father?” Julian asked with curiosity. “I’ll tell you when the time comes. For now, you need to work on what we discussed earlier. I want you available at all times. Do you understand?” Alistair demanded. “Yes Father,” Julian assured him. “Good. I’ll be in touch. Good-Bye Julian.” “Good-Bye, Father.
The phone clicked and Julian pushed the button hard breaking his connection. He then slumped into his chair and exhaled a deep breath as he covered his face with his hands. A moment later he reached for the brandy decanter, which was conveniently on his desk and poured himself a stiff drink. He put the glass to his mouth and downed the drink in one gulp.
Sheridan and Luis walked into a large conference room at the Police Station. The room was buzzing with activity. There were charts and graphs set up all over the room, while agents and policemen chatted together in different areas of the room. Luis searched for Sam, finally finding him standing with Tina and the two French Police men that had come to Harmony. Luis caught Antoine’s glance and felt a chill in his spine. Antoine smiled as he saw the two, but Luis had a feeling something was wrong. He didn’t share his feeling with Sheridan, not wanting to worry her.
“Sam,” Luis called out as he and Sheridan approached. “Luis, Sheridan, I’m glad you’re here,” Sam said with relief. “Let’s go sit down and get this started, shall we?” Tina smiled at Sheridan and Luis, who in turn smiled back. Tina glanced down at Luis’ side and saw he was tightly holding Sheridan’s hand. Her smile broadened. “I guess they finally talked,” she muttered to herself. Tina sat on the other side of Sheridan, (Luis of course was sitting next to her), while the two endarmes sat across the table from them. The Interpol agents and Sam occupied the rest of the table. “Tina,” Sheridan whispered.
Tina turned to look at Sheridan and smiled. She knew instantly by the look on her face, that they had more than talked. “Yes, Sheridan,” she whispered back. “I wanted to thank you for all your words of advice. You and Sam were right,” she said bashfully. “Sheridan are you blushing?” Tina asked. This caused Sheridan to turn an even darker shade of red. “Let’s just say that I am happier right now than I’ve ever been,” Sheridan answered. Luis heard them whispering and turned to see what was going on. He saw Tina grinning and then she winked at him. “What?” He asked, but he knew what. He too, turned slightly pink. He then motioned for Tina to come over for a second. Tina walked over to Luis and he whispered in her ear, “Thanks by the way.”
“You’re welcome,” she returned.
“Oh, and Tina, Keep your eye on that Gendarme over there,” motioning to Antoine, “I have a bad feeling about him,” he whispered. “Don’t tell Sheridan.” Tina nodded and returned to her seat. The rest of the morning was spent rehashing the events happening since Roger and Pierre originally kidnapped Sheridan. Sheridan, Luis and Tina once again had to tell their stories involving the case. It was agreed that Pierre and Roger would be returned to Paris for immediate trial, even though there would still be charges against them in the United States. Antoine and an Interpol agent would replace the Harmony cops as the guards for the two drug lords until they were well enough to travel back to France.
The morning seemed to drag out forever. It was nearly 2:00 when they were released from the conference room. “I thought this would never end,” Sheridan said with a sigh of relief. “Well, I hate to tell you this Sheridan, but it’s not over yet.” “Ugh,” Sheridan groaned. “Don’t worry, I doubt they will need us for the rest of the day,” he said soothingly. “Don’t we have a date for lunch?” He asked giving her a playful look. She looked at her watch and frowned. “It’s rather late for lunch, but maybe dinner?” She asked. “I think we’ll have to change the location though. It will get too cold at night. Do you think the crime scene tape is still at the cottage?”
“Probably. I hate to tell you this Sheridan, but it will probably be up until these guys all leave,” Luis said. Sheridan groaned and rolled her eyes to the back of her head. “I guess I’ll have to go shopping then,” she said. Everything I own is either in PARIS or at the cottage.” She glared at Luis. “What was that look for?” Luis asked. “I saved your behind in Paris by kidnapping you! What was I supposed to do, say “Sheridan when you bring the plane ticket I deliberately left for you to find, to me, please pack a suitcase because I’m going to chloroform you and take you with me?” Luis laughed at the thought. Sheridan gave him the evil eye. She wasn’t really mad, just annoyed. She knew what Luis did was for her own good, but it didn’t mean she had to like it. “I know Luis, but I just hate shopping alone,” she pouted.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, Sheridan,” Tina said, “but I’m finished here for today so if you’d like some company, I’d love to see a little of Harmony?” “I’d like that Tina,” Sheridan said cheerfully. “Let me change and I’ll be with you in five minutes,” Tina said. “Certainly Tina,” Sheridan smiled. Tina walked off to change out of uniform. “See,” Luis said, “Now you don’t have to go shopping alone.” “No I don’t,” she smiled softly. “Plus, you can buy something sexy for your date tonight,” he added. “”What makes you think I want to be SEXY for my date tonight? Maybe I’ll buy a new pair of sweats,” she said. “Like I said, sexy!” Luis grinned. “OK, Luis,” Sheridan laughed. “Shall we meet at the Book Cafe at say, Seven o’clock?” “Seven o’clock? You’re going to make me wait THAT long?” Luis feigned being hurt.
“Well, now that I’m going shopping, I’m going to do it right,” she said. “I also have to make arrangements for dinner, you know.” Sheridan raised her eyebrow and gave him a suggestive look. “I do have something important to tell you.” “I can’t wait to hear what it is,” he said. He then gave her his killer smile. “You’d better stop looking at me like that,” Sheridan warned as she felt her heart flutter. “Or what?” He asked raising his eyebrows. “Or I won’t be responsible for embarrassing you in front of all your friends,” she replied with a sly grin. Tina returned in time to see Luis red cheeked and laughing. “Did I miss something good?” She asked. “Not yet,” Luis said mischievously. “I’ll walk you ladies to your car.”
Luis, Sheridan and Tina walked to Tina’s car in the parking lot. “So we’ll meet at the Book Cafe at seven?” Luis said. “Seven o’clock, Luis. Not a minute early,” Sheridan said with a tantalizing smile. “You play rough, Sheridan,” he mockingly accused. “I know,” she gloated. “Have a good time Tina, if you can,” he said shaking his head in Sheridan’s direction. “I’ll see you at seven, Sheridan,” Luis said in a very seductive voice followed by his best smile. “You think you’re smart don’t you?” She asked with feigned curtness. “Yes. Sometimes I do,” he smiled. “Well, it’s not going to work this time, Luis,” Sheridan said smugly as she opened the car door and climbed in. Luis gently closed the door for her. He shook his head and laughed.
Tina was just climbing into her seat when Luis said quietly, “Keep an eye on her for me?” He gave Tina a pleading look. Luis didn’t know why, but he felt as if something was amiss. Tina smiled at Luis in acknowledgement. “This will be one of my more pleasant duties,” she whispered to Luis. With that, Tina climbed in the car and she and Sheridan left on a shopping spree. Luis watched the car as it drove out of site, wondering why he couldn’t shake the feeling he had.
To Be Continued...
