Catherine Needed Him Pt. 02

As their car drove away, Cath said, "If we are goofy, so are they. An agent rendezvous on motorcycles in a county park in the redwoods?" She kissed me and added, "I'm not sleeping alone tonight. Interested in bed company?"

Down off the hill, we coasted quietly into my driveway and locked the bikes in the garage. I hugged her tightly and whispered, "It's not all bad that we can't talk work inside." She walked away, muttering, "Typical guy."

We both needed a shower to get rid of nervous sweat. I soaped her and said quietly, "I think officially we are still dating and you are not completely sold on me. Think you can handle that?"

"Keep your hands to yourself, Chris. This is just a shower."

Chapter 7

She woke me in the night, "I can't sleep. I had a nasty dream about cross and double cross."

I whispered, "Agents are supposed to be paranoid."

She pressed her backside into my arms. The warmth and the smooth skin were turning me on. "You are supposed to be suspicious of everyone. What about the guy who is poking your butt?"

She turned with open legs. "Get in there and make me feel better."

In the perfect darkness of my bed, we made frantic love. All the dangers and worries of the last few days played out in two bodies coupling fiercely. She wasn't making noise and I could tell her mind was elsewhere.

"Let go," I barked, "just give me that come!"

It worked. I drove hard and filled her with hot spunk. Her wail was drawn out and ended with, "Bastard!"

Still breathing deep, I nibbled her ear and said, "Did that help? You sure turn me on, lover."

Laughing hysterically, she pounded on my chest and cried, "Chris, we have to stop fucking around and chase those guys!"

All the tension was back. Great sex and worry about bad guys had us fully awake. The shower felt good and the coffee burned on the way down.

"Let's go to work early. We can pretend we are feeling guilty about taking time off on the weekend. After I dig out, I will research land titles on that suspicious lot."

On the way in to the office, I reminded her that we needed to project the same relaxed intensity of young lawyers we had maintained before all the agent business revealed itself.

She smiled at me, "So I don't have a thing for you, and I am not an agent, and I don't suspect my boss of fraud and conspiracy?"

I kissed the back of her hand. "You'll be fine. Just remember the worst days of acting out adolescent tantrums!"

Chapter 8

The next few days were busy and we concentrated on being part of normal office routine. Despite keeping very alert, there didn't seem to be any out of the ordinary events in the office. In the evening, after riding our bikes to the gardening shack, we clung to each other, teasing about whether work or sex would be first. Or food, which we stopped for on the way.

"I spoke to Myers today about joining your title case. He said to go ahead if it didn't interfere with my assignments from him."

"That's interesting. I worked my way to asking Leggett for help and suggesting you. He said not a problem if Myers didn't mind."

She sipped a gin and tonic, which had replaced the biker girl beer that was padding her hips. Or so she said as my fingers worked here and there. She looked down, "Don't you dare say biker girls are supposed to be well padded."

"Kiss me and I'll promise never to mention it."

We didn't spend nights in each other's bed any more. We were paired up at office Happy Hours, and mentioned movie dates, but kept the heat out of our eyes in front of colleagues and others. In the broken down shack, with its lumpy bed, our loving was still hot, but different. We kidded about agents not being able to perform, which was true now and then, our minds preoccupied with mission thoughts. More often, Catherine cuddled, holding tight and reminding that I was in charge of keeping her alive. More than once, I thought about dumping the assignments and the jobs, and starting over somewhere far away. But Catherine and I had been captured early on with a sense of obligation to our commitments. However silly it was to chase lawyer fraud with two low level agents, we were not quitters.

We discovered an interesting angle on the water rights case. The litigation started with an unlawful title suit filed by a firm from San Diego, which was unusual, to put it mildly. Leggett and Myers represented the defendant and the case file looked clean. But when we started checking into the identities of the parties, there was a murky trail on both sides that lead back to individuals with drug cartel connections.

Leaning on me with drink in hand and the last sun shining in the west window of the shack, Catherine said, "This seems crazy, but I do believe the lawyers are being sent a message by their drug friends. Why else would a silly turf dispute end up in a county courthouse?"

Now, I was the one having trouble staying awake. It had already been a long day. Maybe we were spending the night. "Somebody is trying to bluff and outmaneuver somebody else. You don't suppose there is a big piece of business they are fighting over that involves L&M?"

"What if one of the law partners is getting cold feet and wants to turn down the temperature?"

"Or worse, some part of our operation has been outed and they are building defenses against the feds?"

"Send a text to our PA saying we are going to do field work on the water rights case tomorrow."

While Cate did that, I woke up sufficiently to call our minder. After getting the message about unsecure line, I asked, "Weather is nice, what about a twilight bike ride tomorrow? We will bring something light to eat along the way."

"Great idea, Chris. See you at the usual spot around 5:30."

With an arm around her, "Can I sleep now?"

"Calling him on an open line?"

"It's routed through a law firm in the City. Go to sleep."

Chapter 9

Having slept at seven in the evening, we were awake at midnight. She pushed her butt into me, "You are wrecking my sleep."

"Don't give me that. Agents are trained to be alert at night. Let's mosey quietly out of here and see if there is anyone down that path at the water property. I've got my weapon, do you have yours?"

She was fully awake, pulling my ears off and kissing hard. "Do bears dump... Of course, I have my weapon."

Actually, we walked the Ducati's to the road, and got a silent start on the downhill grade. There was just enough moon to make the distance up to Skyline a beautiful ride. Cate was ahead and pulled into a roadside thicket to regroup. Google was showing us the way, a little less than three miles.

She asked, "Where should we set up our surveillance? These things can be heard quite a distance."

"We need to kill the engines before we get to that dirt road turnoff. Why don't I lead and take a dive into anything that looks plausible a few hundred yards uphill?"

"Plausible? I bet we are going to be scrubbing poison oak off these leathers."

Our luck was holding and there was a turnout in the right place, with the remains of a logging road at the far edge. I wheeled my bike along the trail and around a curve. Cate followed carefully. Once the bikes were on their stands, I got a tight hug.

"Walking down that road is not going to work. We are not diving into the brush if someone comes along." My brain belatedly connected with the fact that poison oak rash would be a giveaway at work.

"The training manual says to secure your retreat before advancing."

"Yes, dummy." Her lips were cold, but I warmed them. "Is this all a bad idea?"

While I was thinking about Plan B, we heard a motor starting in the distance, then another. Creeping closer to the road, we reached the turnout just as a minibus and a panel truck passed. I sat down with Catherine between my legs.

She said, "Drug transfer," as the same thought went through my mind.

"Doesn't answer question of why they are in court."

It was comfortable sitting in the woods in the dark with my girl. I kissed and licked the back of her neck. She shivered and said, "Attacking me is going to generate inspiration?"

Her hand reached up and drew my lips down to hers. "The agency never told me I could chase bad guys and be in love at the same time."

I drew her up with me, laughing. "The agency never told you passion in the woods is hazardous!"

Another engine noise startled us. And another. Revving up and then disappearing in the distance.

"Going to the coast. They are pretty organized."

Catherine said, "Let's go back to the shack, where we can talk and regroup. Our apartments are too dangerous."

Going down the hill, I was still bothered by the apparent illogic of the lawsuit. Going around a curve, a silly explanation came to me and I laughed most of the way down.

We were standing in the old gatehouse, folding our riding leathers and falling into the narrow bed with glasses of water.

"What are you so happy about?"

She needed tickling before I fessed up. The water glasses barely made it out of the way as we wrestled and rolled about. Smiling up at me, our hands clasped, she said, "You've figured out the lawsuit."

I leaned for a kiss. "It's too too silly, but just maybe..."

She switched us around so she could sit on my middle. "Tell me, beast."

"We think the land titles really belong to gangs in LA, who are dealing big time in drugs and using Leggett and Myers for various chores. For some reason, probably territorial, one gang has one chunk of land, and another has the second. Somebody discovered the titles aren't right and reported it to the gang bosses. This has become a thorn in the side. One of them thinks the other got a better deal by fraud. The fraud probably dates back to before the gangs were involved, but it pisses one of them off enough to pull this stunt with the lawsuit."

Catherine leaned for a kiss, "Pisses big Jorge off. Nobody gets the better of Jorge." She collapsed giggling to my side.

"Tell me, giggling one, how do we use that piece of speculation?"

Using the silence of our hideout, she reached between us and made sure I followed her turn to her back. Still laughing, Catherine pounded on my butt until we were tight. "I have to think!"

I kept my weight up on my arms, forcing her to hump at me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm watching the woman I am supposed to keep safe try to think, laugh and fuck all at the same time."

She pulled me down to her side, applied a soft kiss, and fell asleep. I should have known, I said to myself, and let sleep take me as well.

Chapter 10

The alarm went off at six, waking two groggy bodies. We quietly made our way back to our apartments. Coming up on Catherine's, I saw a shadow move in her small yard and waved us past. Several blocks farther, I pulled into a gas station and dismounted. She was shaking out her hair as I said, "Saw a shadow move in your yard. Could have been anything, but didn't want to find out when we were unprepared."

We filled the tanks while she absorbed that. We both were quickly in agent mode, reviewing threats and options.

"Let's find a Starbucks and wait a bit."

In fifteen minutes, we were in the far corner of a busy Starbucks, checking mail and sipping lattes. I said quietly, "Could have been any number of things. If bad guys, might have been bugging the premises."

"How long are we going to be able to pretend to be just junior lawyers?"

"Good question. Maybe we need a session with the minders?"

Three evenings later, we quietly slowed the bikes into another remote turnout on Skyline, and joined Jed and Tom.

"Hey. Real riding togs?"

"We tried the expense chit on our boss and got turned down. Big dent in our booze budget."

A few minutes of conversation revealed that the agencies were becoming as antsy as Catherine and I were.

"Keep digging carefully, but look for signs of suspicion, or of a big delivery going down. Carry your weapons. Buy a couple burners. Don't make any calls on them, and don't put any numbers in them. Memorize our emergency numbers. If we get a call, even a single ring, we will assume you have or are being taken down and will react accordingly."

There was more talk, to the effect that the fraud investigation indictments might be triggered any time.

We watched them motor away, our arms around each other. "We need a burner car to go with the burner phones. The bikes are too visible, with the Leggett and Myers people knowing we ride."

"Yes, and we need a new overnight spot. The one we have has probably been outed, but let's go there for tonight."

Cuddled in the crummy bed in the shack, we sipped a couple of craft beers and talked about staying alive for two more weeks. I tickled a rib and said, "You are the double agent. What survival advice do you have?"

"Leave tomorrow for Fiji." Her fingers squeezed me viciously.

"That doesn't work unless we have helped ourselves to a suitcase full of laundered cash."

She kissed my ear. "Good point. We are falling down on the job. Where is the laundered money kept and how is it moved?"

A thought went through my mind. "You know, Cath, we have been paying too much attention to staying out of trouble and not enough to getting hard evidence on these bent lawyers. If this is almost the end, we need a few Hail Mary plays."

She said, "Shit," and kissed me again. After a long moment of silence, "There has to be a night time location. Somewhere convenient. One of those 'sitting in plain sight' things."

I was running my hand up and down her naked back when I had a sudden jerk. Her head snapped up, "What's the matter?"

"It's the mail guys and the delivery service."

She sat on my chest in the dark and said, "Tell me."

"Have you noticed all the mail and delivery people are twenty something white males? That doesn't fit a minimum wage job. And those satchels they use for moving stuff have little color-coded tags?

She got up. "Damn, you are making me all juicy. I can smell myself." She disappeared in the bathroom.

Another piece fell into place, and I followed her. Sitting across her thighs, I peed down between them. "The vehicle maintenance garage. I've never been there, but I'll bet a walled off and very secure space is labelled something devious like 'Confidential Mail Vault.' Something a big law firm would be expected to have."

"Fuck!"

"Not right this second, honey."

"I should have thought of checking this out earlier." She grabbed my ears and applied a hot kiss. The tips of her breasts were stiff as a board. The excitement had her turned on. And her excitement was turning me on. Positioned against the vanity, I spread her legs and entered roughly.

She yipped and yelled, "You can't! We have to figure this out!"

Her brain had one idea, her body another. I lowered my voice. "Lover, you need stress relief. Your boyfriend is providing some."

I pushed her into the lumpy mattress. "Damn." Her fingers grasped my ears and mashed our lips together. My cock kept up a steady drumbeat. It wasn't thinking about locked satchels full of money. Catherine was full of violence, cursing and crying out, "No! Stop, you bastard!"

I chewed on a convenient nipple and she came, shaking and wailing. The struggle was over. The fantastic body won. I flipped us and held her muscled rear tight to my front. Shudders died out slowly. I pulled the covers up. Might as well get a nap out of this.

Chapter 11

Much later, she stirred and whispered in my ear, "Chris."

"Yes?"

"That was good, what you did."

"I'm forgiven for being a brute?"

"If you were a brute, I was a bitch. We both needed that."

"We can spend the weekend screwing and sleeping?"

Our heads were close together. "If they get wind we suspect the garage, it will be clean as a whistle when the raid goes down."

"Maybe the vault is always clean because there is an underground part?"

"We need an aerial pass over the site with one of those gadgets that sees underground."

"It's 4 am, we can't call Jed at this hour. Go back to sleep."

I pulled her tight and closed my eyes. As I faded, I wondered why I was so relaxed about the fireworks that could break out at any moment.

There was sun in the room. It was cosy in the lumpy bed, except for the fact that I was hard and a hand was attacking with sharp nails.

"I can torture too."

"You already did, that was vicious last night."

Are you doing the coffee, or am I?"

The squeeze was nasty but the kiss was gentle. "I get brownie points for this. We are going somewhere for breakfast and call Jed?"

"Need a rendezvous. Let's not take chances on phone surveillance."

"Alright. Send them an email while I do the coffee."

We had only been back in bed sipping the hot, black coffee for five minutes when my machine pinged. I looked in the mail folder and said, "I'll be damned."

Catherine poked me and I showed her the cryptic message. "Devil's Slide lookout. 10:30am."

She put down her coffee and snuggled tighter. "Good. We don't have to dash out of here. How long does it take?"

"Forty minutes. Maybe more on a weekend day."

She licked one of my nipples and asked, "Are you going to be a brute again?"

I worked the delectable naked body for a few minutes, getting low moans in the way of thank you. I was hard enough for sex, but concentration seemed to be the order of the day.

"Would you mind giving your boyfriend a brute raincheck?"

She sat on my hips while laughing and bouncing on my poor limp cock.

"Ha! A raincheck he wants!"

She collapsed back into my arms. "As usual, you have the better idea. Let's see if there is any hot water."

Our bikes rolled into the sunny turnout at 10:29 to find two similar ones already there. The feds looked like two guys out for a weekend frolic. Maybe even with each other.

"Pardon me, are you two hooked up?"

"Asshole. Keep that up and you will be history."

"We might anyway. We have a couple of ideas to try on you. Talk here or somewhere else?"

"This is ok, for now. We have some news too."

"First item is the silly lawsuit. Chris thinks it is part of a minor turf war between two of the gangs working with L&M. The lawsuit is a distraction, but the other night we were up there and it sounded like they were moving drugs. We couldn't get close, but at least four cars and trucks were involved."

"Interesting. Bring a trailer truck up there and unload/reload in the dark?"

"Yes. But, of course, no important people around. No point in shutting it until we have the big guns."

"What else?"

"We think the laundered money and supporting documents are transferred by the office messengers and their accomplices in the mail service. There is an offsite garage that probably has hidden strong rooms. Maybe even underground. Cate and I can't go near, but maybe you can get an aerial scan with that special radar you have?"

"Lidar. Military developed it. Our plane is down south, but we can get a flight up here in a day or so."

Cate asked, "Is there an end game plan? Any idea how we get extracted? Or is that up to the agents, speeding up Highway 1 on their bikes?"

"That's what we wanted to talk about. There is a fistful of plans, but any dates are still classified way up the chain."

She was dogged, "But way up the chain doesn't know squat about minute to minute here on the Peninsula."

Tom smiled and asked me, "What's it like, having to partner with that?"

"Tough. Really tough, but it might save my skin one of these times."

Jed was back to agent mode. "Ok folks. Here's a new gadget. Looks like a phone, but is an encrypted text machine with a long life battery. Just leave it on in someone's pocket. When it vibrates, find a private location to read it. The machine automatically decrypts the text. The message will very terse, telling you what to do and when."

She was not pleased. "The troops in the field are the last to know what's going down?"