Kate Pt. 01

"Bless her heart," she softly said, laying her head on my chest, "I guess I've got a lot to be thankful for then. I know how I felt when my father was killed, but now that you mention it, I never really tried to imagine what Mom was feeling. It had to have been very hard on her though, because I know how I felt when you were gone to South America for the short time you were there."

"Is that right?" I asked, "Tell me, my love, how did you feel?"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, raising her head high enough from my chest to be able to look into my eyes, "I felt like my whole world was coming apart...I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep...it was awful, baby. Promise me that you won't ever put me through that again," her eyes beginning to fill with tears as her voice started breaking up.

"Shh, I'm sorry, Katie," I softly whispered, tenderly kissing her beautiful cheek, "I swear to you by all that's holy that I'll never do that to you again."

"I'm still worried about you having to face Mike again," she replied, her voice trembling with fear, "And I've got a very bad feeling about it, Mark, a feeling worse than any I've ever had before...ever."

Don't worry," I reassured her, "There are going to be DEA and FBI agents all over the place, just in case he tries anything, okay?"

"You don't understand how Mike Dodge's mind works," she informed me, "He's always been a cunning, ruthless son of a bitch, and he always has some kind of back up plan. Aunt Linda told me that when an ex partner of his and David Linder's tried to double-cross them a few years back."

"Oh, really," I asked surprised, "I don't think I've ever heard about this before."

"That's right," she began, "There was a guy named Lucas Roth who once owned some shares of stock in his company back when I was in junior high school. I didn't really pay any attention to it back then because I was so young. But after I got older I heard Mike and David talking about it at my Aunt Linda's thirtieth birthday party."

"Let me guess," I said...a dark and foreboding feeling beginning to rise from the pit of my stomach, "Mike sent him on a trip to South America and he never came back. Is that about right?"

"Yes and no," Kate said, "They sent Lucas south alright, but it was down to Oaxaca, Mexico instead. Then the next day, I saw on the T.V. news cast that Lucas's flight had crashed, killing everyone aboard...twenty-five people."

"That doesn't mean anything," I told her, "Plane crashes happen all the time, sweetie."

"I know they do," she said, "But this was a brand new company plane, and because it crashed in Mexico, the Mexican government wouldn't let the Federal Aviation Administration investigate the crash site. I think the company got several million dollars from the insurance payoff, almost twice what the plane itself was worth to begin with."

"Shit," I said, picking up the phone and dialing it, "I need to warn Uncle John and tell him that we all might be walking into a trap."

~~~~~~

"Don't worry, kiddo," Uncle John replied, in a shrewd tone of voice, "We know all about Lucas Roth; and we're going to have people already at the drop point when you get there tomorrow so; get yourself a good night's sleep, because you're sure as hell going to need it."

"Okay, Uncle John, if you say so," I said, breathing a little easier, "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Mark," he said, "I'll see you tomorrow..."

~~~~~~

Kate and I made love that night before going to sleep, but I was still plagued by bad dreams anyway. The only good thing that came out of it was that I couldn't remember them when I woke up the next morning.

~~~~~~

Chapter Sixteen

I woke at six o'clock the next morning to the sound of my alarm clock making a constant but gentle beeping noise; and in doing so, opened my eyes to find that Kate was no longer lying beside me. However, the moment I took my first conscious breath, the aroma of coffee and food being cooked pleasantly assaulted me senses, making me rise from the bed and go straight into the bathroom to relieve my full bladder.

After I finished taking a morning pee, I flushed the toilet, washed my hands, and then went back into my bedroom to get dressed. I put on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, and then headed for the kitchen, from which the wonderful aromas I smelled were originating.

~~~~~~

The moment I entered the kitchen, the first thing I saw was Kate standing at the stove cooking, while wearing one of my shirts and a pair of pink, sheer panties that allowed me to faintly make out her beautiful ass.

"Mmm," I groaned, coming up to her and hugging her from behind, "Good morning, beautiful. I love you."

"Hi, baby," she purred smiling, "I love you, too. Sit down and I'll get you a cup of coffee, okay?"

"That's alright," I said, moving toward the coffee maker, "I can get it myself. You look a little busy at the moment."

After I poured myself a cup of coffee, as well as refilling her cup, I sat down and smiled, watching my beautiful Kate as she finished making our breakfast. I never before in my life, knew the feelings I had when it came to how I felt about Kate. She was beauty, grace, elegance, and sweet kindness all in one package. I silently thanked God for giving her to me, even though I felt like I didn't deserve something as beautiful as her.

"Earth to Mark," Kate giggled, snapping me out of the daydream and setting my breakfast plate onto the table in front of me, "I asked you if you were nervous about what you've got to do today?"

"I'm sorry, baby," I smiled, "I was daydreaming...and yes, I'm a little nervous, but Uncle John told me that my ass would be covered just in case Mike Dodge tried something sneaky."

"You be careful, baby," she sniffled, jumping from her seat to hop into my lap and hold me closely to her breast, "I don't want to lose you. Do you understand?"

"I understand, my love," I softly replied, gently kissing her lips, "Everything is going to just fine, I promise."

~~~~~

I made the call to Mike, knowing that every word of our conversation was being not only listened to, but taped as well.

"Mike," I said, when he answered the phone, "I've verified that the money is in place, now I want you to listen, and listen closely, alright?"

"I hear you, buddy," Mike pleasantly replied, "Where do you want me to meet you, and at what time?"

~~~~~~

STONES RIVER BATTLE GROUND MURFREESBORO TENNESSEE 30 MILES SOUTH OF NASHVILLE 4:00 PM

I waited in the car I'd rented ten days earlier for Mike to appear, and before too long, I saw his black Lincoln Continental rolling down the road behind the battle field right on time.

"Hey, Mark," he smiled, once he was out of his car, "Did you bring the product?"

After opening the rear passenger's side door on the driver's side of my car, as well as popping the trunk so that he cold see the one hundred kilos of cocaine that were within, I looked at him and said, "I told you I would have what you wanted."

"That's great," he smiled, reaching up to scratch his head, "Will you be kind enough to help me load it?"

"No," I snottily quipped, "I took risk of sneaking that shit back in to this country so; I'll be damned if I'm going to help you load it...you can do that yourself."

Suddenly I heard a man scream, and as I turned my head to see what direction it came from, I saw a man dressed in camouflage, and carrying what I could plainly see was a high powered rifle with a scope on it, falling from a not too distant tree and landing on the ground, dead."

As soon as I turned back around to face him, Mike had a forty-five caliber weapon drawn and aimed at me, and with an evil grin on his face, he thrust the weapon into my stomach and growled, "Load the fucking product, or you're a dead man. Do you hear me, asshole?"

You're even dumber than I thought you were, asshole, "I replied, right before I quickly disarmed him, and then with a hard chop to his throat, I sent him to his knees, temporarily stunned, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that I have an Uncle in the DEA, and you're under arrest, you son of a bitch," and with that said, as well as while he was still trying to regain his breath, I delivered an extremely hard, spinning back kick, where it landed right between his eyes, knocking him out cold.

"YOU CAN ALL COME OUT NOW," I shouted, and then reached into the glove compartment of my car, retrieving a full roll of duct tape, and then using it to bind Mike Dodge's hands behind him.

I was suddenly surrounded by cars with red lights flashing atop of them, and then FBI, and DEA agents came scrambling out of the woods with their weapons drawn, yelling, "GET ON THE GROUND WITH YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD."

"I'm Agent John Sheppard's nephew," I barked, standing still, "And if it weren't for me, you assholes wouldn't have Mike Dodge so, back the fuck off, now."

However, some idiot, clearly a rookie, wearing a jacket with FBI printed on the back went to grab me as he hatefully said, "I told you to hit the ground, asshole," but before he could get a good grip on me, I'd disarmed him, as well as had him lying on the ground beside the now unconscious Mike, when Uncle John pulled a up, and after jumping out of his car with his badge in hand, and yelled, "EVERYBODY STAND DOWN, NOW."

~~~~~~

After he regained consciousness, Mike Dodge was whisked away by three federal agents, and I was standing by when that FBI rookie jerk walked up to me and hatefully growled, "You're lucky that you're John's nephew. I was getting ready to kill your stupid ass, you fucking punk."

"Is that right," I laughed, still jacked-up from the adrenaline "Why don't you take off that badge and gun right now, rookie? I'll kick your ass again."

"You two need to take it easy," Uncle John said, stepping between us. Then looking at the FBI Agent, he sarcastically told him, "I'd back off it I was you. It's going to be hard enough on you when I tell your superiors in Washington that you threatened a civilian who was the key to taking down a major drug cartel in this country."

"Did you hear what he said to me?" the agent scowled, "According to the constitution, the fact that he threatened a federal agent is cause enough for him to face charges on that alone."

"Back off, and shut up," Uncle John, snarled, "You threatened him first...and besides, you're lucky that I don't turn him loose on you. He'd break your snot-nosed ass into a million pieces so; I'm giving you a lawful order to back the fuck off and leave this man alone, now, or face the consequences."

"Yes sir," he quietly replied, and then turned and walked away.

~~~~~~

"You did it, Mark, you helped us bring down some very bad guys...Man, your Dad would be so proud of you," Uncle John proudly said to me, once I'd turned the rental car back in, and we were on our way back to my house, "Oh, and don't forget that your cousin, Tabitha, will be at your house when you get there."

"That's right," I grinned, excited at the prospect of seeing my sweet, pretty cousin, "I'm glad you reminded me, because with all that's happened today, I almost forgot."

~~~~~~

"MAARRRRRKKKKIIIEEEE," my cousin, Tabitha, loudly squealed, jumping into my arms the moment I walked through my front door, "Oh, my God! Let me look at you, sweetie, wow, you look great, and I've missed you so much."

"So do you," I grinned, holding her at arms length after hugging her, "It's good to see you, too, pretty girl."

"Hi, baby," Kate smiled, giving me a quick kiss, "I understand that Mike Dodge is history."

"Yes, he is," I victoriously replied, "Have you heard from your Aunt Linda yet?"

"Oh, that reminds me," she grinned, "She said that she'd be here around seven o'clock to personally thank you."

"Thank me," I asked, "Thank me for what?"

"For helping her find a way to get rid of Mike without it costing her an arm and a leg, for starters," Kate began, "You see, I found out when I talked to her this morning that she and Mike have been having a lot of problems lately. She said that for the past three years or so, Mike had been coming late with liquor on his breath. That didn't bother her so much as the strange perfume she smelled; and then it all came to a head about a week ago when she found lipstick on his underwear."

"So, she really didn't know about the cocaine then?" I asked Kate.

"No, she didn't," Kate began to laugh, "Not until Mike tried calling my Mom a little while ago to get him outta jail," and then she began to really laugh hard, "It serves his stupid ass right that she's not there."

~~~~~~

Sara had been out shopping for groceries when Tabitha arrived. However, don't think for a second that Kate didn't hesitate to tell Tabitha everything that had been happening with me, half of which I really don't think Tabitha needed to hear. What is it with girls, especially girls that are either your spouse, or part of your family? I'm not trying to sound mean, and I know Kate would never do or say anything to ever hurt me; but I think there's a time when a person should talk about their self, and then there's a time that they shouldn't. Hell, all the girls in my family, Kate included, don't hesitate to tell everything they know...chuckle...I don't think they do it on purpose, that's just the way they are.

"So, tell me cuz," Tabitha smiled, placing her arm around my waist, and because she's only five feet, four inches tall, looking up at me and batting her big pretty blue eyes, "When are you and Kate going to get married?"

"I don't know," I teased, "You're gonna have to ask her, not me."

"Chicken shit," she grinned, smacking me on the ass, "I'm surprised you even had the guts to ask her." "Oh, he's asked me, alright," Kate grinned, "We just haven't set a date yet, that's all."

"Ah, I see now," Tabitha giggled, poking me in the ribs, "So, when are you going to marry her, you big dummy?"

"You shut up," I laughed, "If I thought it was any of your business, I'd tell you, Miss Nosy."

"I'm not being nosy," Tabitha said, pointing at Kate, "She's not Melissa Peters, Mark. She won't wait around forever while you try to make up your mind. Kate's too good to be treated like that," and knowing that she had just overstepped her boundary with me, Tabitha suddenly got this look of dread on her face.

Had it been this time last year that she'd said that to me what she just said, I would've immediately bitten Tabitha's head off and been done with it, making her not want to speak to me for God knows how many more years.

This time, however, and whether she intended it to happen or not, bringing up that terrible reminder of my past cut me deeper than anything that anyone could've said to me. Melissa Peters was a girl that I thought that I really loved, and I could tell that she really liked me, hence the reason I wanted to ask her out.

But because I was too shy...painfully shy, she got tired of waiting for me to ask her out, and started dating another guy, and, from what I heard, she married him.

Still though, as opposed to raising hell with Tabitha, which is what I'm quite sure was the reaction she was looking for, or perhaps trying to invoke, I simply grabbed my car keys off of the table where I'd just set them down.

"I'll be back in a little while," I quietly said, kissing Kate's lips, "I need to get outta here for a while and clear my head."

"Where are you going," Kate asked, "What's wrong, baby?"

"She knows," I said, pointing at Tabitha, "Ask her," and then I turned and walked out the door..."

~~~~~~

I got into my car, backed out of the drive way, and then took off. I love my cousin, but like I said earlier, sometimes the women in my family have the tendency to run their mouths when they should simply leave well enough alone. The reason I got so angry, was because in bringing up my past, Miss Tabitha forgot to mention that she and Melissa Peters were best friends.

Melissa really liked me and was simply going to ask me out instead, which would've probably been all the push I'd needed to talk to her. However, Tabitha told her that she should wait and make me ask her out first.

While Tabitha thought that she was trying to help me overcome my shyness, Melissa took it the wrong way and thought that Tabitha didn't want her to date me because we were cousins, and that was the end of that. Of course, she'd just started doing drugs in those days, which still gave her no excuse, but I can still remember being so angry with her that I didn't speak to her for a very long time. But what mystified me was why she was trying to open up an old wound...and in front of my beautiful Kate, too?

~~~~~~

"Uh, oh," Tabitha said, the moment I walked out the door, letting it slam behind me, "I think I just fucked up, Kate."

"Ya think?" Kate angrily snapped at first, and then not being able to stay mad at someone, which is one her beautiful virtues, she looked at Tabitha and said, "Look, why don't we sit down and calmly talk about this, okay?"

"Okay," Tabitha smiled, clearly relieved, "That would be nice, Kate, thank you."

"Alright then, tell me," Kate began, "Who is Melissa Peters, what does she have to do with Mark; and why did he get so upset?"

"Melissa Peters was my best friend when we were in high school," Tabitha told her, "Everybody knew that she and Mark were crazy about each other, and I was happy about it, too."

"I kinda gathered that much," Kate said, "The part about you and her being friends, I mean."

"Mark kept wanting me to get her to go out with him, because he was too shy to do it himself," Tabitha admitted, "I told him that it wasn't my place, and that I wasn't going to do it. I also told Melissa about it, too."

"Is that right," Kate grinned, "What did she say?"

"She thought it was adorable," Tabitha smiled, "So, Melissa decided to rescue Mark from being shy, and ask him out instead."

"That really is adorable," Kate sweetly smiled, "What happened?"

"Me, and my big mouth," Tabitha sadly replied, looking at her hands in her lap, and then raising her head and looking into Kate's eyes, she continued, "I meant well, I really did, But I was a little over zealous when I told her that she should make Mark ask her out instead, because it wouldn't be right if not."

"Uh, huh," Kate said, "How did Melissa react to that?"

"Badly," Tabitha began to sniffle, trying to keep from crying, "She misunderstood me and thought I was telling her that I didn't want her to date my cousin, and that wasn't the case at all. She got mad at me for trying to be manipulative, and never spoke to me again after that."

"I'm just trying to be truthful as opposed to hurtful," Kate plainly said, "But do you really blame her? I'm not taking your side of this feud between you and Mark, but I'm not taking his side either. I will say this though; I know Mark very well, Tabitha, and when he comes back here, and he will, I want you to at least thank him for being the forgiving, gentle man that he really is...agreed?"

"Agreed," Tabitha gently smiled, "How soon do you think he'll be back?"

"I can't tell you that," Kate chuckled, "It depends on how pissed off he was when he left here..."

~~~~~~

When I left the house, I drove to a bar that was roughly twenty minutes away, and had consumed two drinks by this time. And after that small bit, I found myself a lot calmer than I was when I left the house. So, after paying my tab, I got up and left the bar, headed for home.

As I drove back to the house, the first thing I wanted to do was to ask Tabitha to forgive me for treating her the way I had, regardless of what she'd done. I should've acted more like an adult, as opposed to reacting like I did. I also wanted to sit down and talk to Kate about that part of my past; I only wondered what she was going to think.

I didn't think it mattered, because of the fact that it had happened so long ago. But if that was the case, then why did I react like I had...walking out the door like a teenaged girl who just found out that her prom date canceled to take another girl instead? That when I realized that the only thing that had been hurt was my pride, which for guys means that it's an ego thing, huh guys? Come on, you know I'm right...anyway, back to the story.