The Crusader Ch. 09

Tully stood and using the remaining crutch made his way out of the armory vault. Stiles stepped closer to help him but a withering look from the Gunnery Sergeant made him back away. I could have told you, Rollie thought. If the man wants help, he'll ask for it.

Tully put the hand not holding the crutch on Rollie's shoulder. "Thanks for coming for me," Tully said in a low voice and then followed Rollie down the hallway.

Rollie slowly led Tully toward the entrance. "Wouldn't have come at all if it weren't for those two nagging women," he said over his shoulder. "First Julie and then Jessica were on me to find you; over and over, they ragged on me. Finally I had to come just to get them to shut up."

Tully used his hand to turn Rollie toward him. "For whatever reason you came, thanks."

Rollie nodded, wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and replied, "You're welcome."

"Hello Ray," Sam Rawlings said as the men came to the front of the building. "Didn't know you were involved in this too. Hi Tully. How about you guys telling me what happened."

For the next hour, Tully, with input from Rollie, told Rawlings about the SLRC, their plans, and how Tully got pulled into it. Just as they were finishing, young Deputy Stiles interrupted.

"Sheriff, there's a lady out there that demands to be let in." Stiles swallowed hard and added, "She said if I didn't let her in she was gonna shove my badge up my....well she threatened me. Said she was a friend of Tully's and a guy named Rollie." As if to himself he said, "Never heard a woman go all ballistic like that."

Rollie and Tully looked at each other and smiled. "Jess," Rollie said. "Could you let them in? Bet you Julie is with her too. See I told you, they wouldn't let me alone."

Getting a nod from Tully, Rawlings said, "Bring her into the office Stiles. Be careful she don't turn you over her knee."

A few minutes later two women stormed into the office. Jessica was in the lead and Rollie had never seen her look more beautiful. She was dressed in one of his old shirts over a tight pair of jeans. Her auburn hair was pulled into a long ponytail and her normally fair complexion was tinted red, either from anger or frustration and her freckles stood out.. Jessica's deep blue eyes were as sharp as a laser as she looked around. She spotted Rollie and Tully and with Julie close behind her hurried to their side.

Jessica grabbed Rollie and held herself close to him with her face buried in his neck. "I'm glad you called," she said softly.

Not to be outdone, Julie had pounced on Tully and was softly crying as he held her with his free arm and tried to balance himself with the crutch. "I'm sorry," she repeated over and over.

He patted her on the back answering, "It's okay; everything's alright." Tully looked over Julie's shoulder at Rollie and raised his eyebrows. Rollie just shrugged and Tully went back to holding his woman.

Jessica separated herself from Rollie and when Julie stepped back Jessica hugged the grizzled sergeant too. She handed him the prosthesis she'd brought from his home. Tully sat in an office chair, put on his leg, and stood. He moved back and forth and took a few steps and then threw the crutch down.

Jessica waited for Tully to finish then said "Didn't I tell you not to play with strangers Tully? You never know where they've been."

"Yes ma'am," Tully answered with a grin. Turning to Rawlings he asked, "Are we done here Sam?"

"Yeah. Y'all probably have to come back for the inquest but that don't mean nothing."

"Good. I'm hungry; let's eat."

"Where to?" Rollie asked.

"I want Italian. Think Tony will still let us in Rigazzi's?"

"You're a bit ripe Tully," Jessica answered. "Let's go back to our place and order a big pizza. You can take a shower and clean up."

"Okay, I guess. But no anchovies."

********************

"I didn't mean to make you mad," Julie said to Tully for the twentieth time.

It was two days after the fiasco at Missouri Tactical and Tully had finally got to go to Rigazzi's. At a large table, there was Tully and Julie, Rollie and Jessica, Frank Wendt and his wife, Ray Jenson and a co-worker of Julies. Ray wife had died several years ago and he was pretty much a confirmed bachelor but Julie was trying to change that fact.

"I know, it was all on me," Tully answered again for the twentieth time.

"I was just teasing about wanting to see Ken," Julie said again.

Tully put his arm around Julie and pulled her closer. "I've been a soldier for a lot of years and don't really know how to deal with women; at least a special woman." Tully grinned at Julie. "So I went home to figure out how to adapt...."

"Adjust, and overcome," the rest of the group finished with him and laughed.

"Didn't work out so good, did it?" Tully asked.

"Oh, I don't know Tully," Frank said. "You save the South Side a lot of bloodshed and trouble."

Julie looked like she was thinking for a moment. "I'm grateful you found Tully, Rollie, but why didn't you get the police involved; I mean more than Frank here?"

Tully chuckled, even Frank smiled. Rollie looked at Julie; he wasn't laughing.

"Because they couldn't have found him," Rollie answered. "Don't get me wrong, Frank and the other cops do a good job. But..."

"But what?" Julie asked.

"They have rules and regulations they have to follow," Jessica answered for Rollie. "If they don't abide by the law they become the same as their targets. Rollie, Tully too, can do what they do and the only line they can't cross is the one they put down themselves." Jessica reached over and took Rollie's hand.

Looking back at Tully Julie suggested, "Maybe you should sell your part of the Academy," Julie suggested. "I mean if bad people are going to come after you for the guns and such."

Tully turned Julie in her chair and looked into her eyes. "Yes I could, and I could go hide in my apartment or a cave and hope nothing bad ever comes along. But that wouldn't be any kind of life, at least not for me, and it wouldn't necessarily mean bad things wouldn't happen anyway. I've gone along so far doing the things I need to do, in places I'd rather not have been and not worry about what might or could happen because of 'bad people' as you call them. I'm not about to pull into a shell, like a turtle, at this late date."

He took Julie's hand. "If we're going to be together, that's something you'll have to accept and get used to." After a few seconds he asked, "What do you think love?"

Julie looked back at Tully for several seconds. She smiled and said, "Screw em, let them come. We'll take them all on."

A small cheer went up around the table. Antonio Rigazzi, the owner of Rigazzi's, came over with a bottle of wine. "This will help with the celebration. Nice to see you back with us Tully." Tony leaned over Rollie's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "I've got a cousin that could use some help Rollie."

"Not tonight Tony; no business tonight," Rollie replied. "Call me tomorrow." Tony nodded and left the table.

"There's a pastor on the South Side that raising a little hell," Frank informed them. "He's playing the race card and says you guys killed those 'poor boys' and got away with it. He said that the law won't punish you but God will judge you."

Tully and Rollie looked at each other. Tully turned toward Frank and said, "We can live with that."

"Works for me," Rollie added with a smile.

The End