Know That I 6/11
Title: Know That I
Disclaimer: Not my characters - except for one or two. The rest of the ladies and gentleman contained herein belong to entities with a higher pay grade. Thanks for allowing li’l ole me to play; I promise to return them as I found them…just like the tools I borrowed from dad when I was a kid. Also, this is unbeta’d so…mistakes are really all me. Sorry about that.
Fandom: Women’s Murder Club - TV show only.
Pairing: Lindsay/Cindy, Jill/OC.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: An old college friend of Cindy’s moves to town and shakes things up.
Ch. 6 - Eye to Eye
“Augie…” Mac tried again to talk Cindy out of tracking down one of her sources at ten o’clock at night. Cindy dismissed the plaintive tone and took off up the street. It wasn’t late, but it was getting there. They had spent forty-five minutes in the morgue either talking over each other or glaring.
It was borderline ludicrous. Mac knew that there would be some shock associated with her and Jill. She prepped for it, but she wasn’t expecting Cindy’s anger.
And boy was her Augie mad.
Mac just couldn’t figure out why.
But with the way Cindy was acting, Mac being on the receiving end of the infamous Thomas Freeze Out, she knew from past experience to let the woman simmer and eventually she’d let Mac really have it. It was going to happen soon, they’d already suffered through waiting on Jill to get additional warrants needed for their victims search and the trek back to Mac’s place to pick up a bike. During which, she tried to convince Cindy to not go hunt down an informant. She was met with glares, ‘shut up’s or a variation or combination of the two. They couldn’t really talk on the ride over. Now, after having parked the bike and securing the lock, Mac looked around the neighborhood she found herself.
It reminded her of New York north of a Hundred-twenty-fifth. It was an area she never really wanted to be in when she lived in the city and with the looks of her current surroundings, she wasn’t comfortable with Cindy being there either.
Mac trailed Cindy as they worked their way uphill, hands stuffed in the pockets of her riding jacket. When Cindy whipped around and jammed a finger in her chest, she wasn’t all that shocked. She was a little surprised by the words that poured out of her friend’s mouth. “What the hell are you thinking Mac? I mean what, you show up after a few years and turn on that damn charm and what…? Set out to hurt one of my best friends?”
Mac’s posture stiffened as she backed up against the stuccoed wall of the building behind her. “I’m sorry, I what?”
“You, you and your…” Cindy growled and ran a hand through her hair. “You just…I mean really it’s classic MacKenzie. You find a girl and you wine and dine her, get her all worked up and as soon as you’re done having your fun and lose interest, you cut her off.”
Mac’s brow knitted together, immediately souring at the description Cindy painted of her. “Is that really what you think I do?”
“Well, let’s see,” Cindy raised her hand and started ticking off a few names, “Jessica Oiler, Stephanie Green and Jennifer Picard. I mean those are the ones that I talked to and tried to explain to them that you just weren’t ‘in to it’ like you said.”
Mac snickered. Of all the things Cindy was going to bring up, she wanted to bring up the few one night stands she had during her junior year. “That’s pretty low, Cindy. I didn’t make any promises to any of those girls.”
“Maybe not, but you still managed to hurt them just the same. Jill’s my friend, Mac. She’s like fam…no, she is family,” Cindy persisted.
“What about Michelle, are you forgetting about the girl I followed to New York?” Mac argued. “Sure I’ve had my share of involvements that weren’t serious, I didn’t think you’d fault me for that, but why are you forgetting about the girl I followed across the country?”
“And just how long did you and Michelle last after you moved?” Cindy spat.
“Two years, Cindy.” Mac pushed off against the wall to step into Cindy’s personal space. “I get that you care, but give me a little bit of credit, please.”
Cindy shook her head and bit her lip.
“Why?” Mac asked, trying to gauge her friend, trying to understand why the reporter seemed so upset by the two dates, which they finally agreed upon during the ride over to the Hall, they had been on. “Why are you so upset by a couple of dates between two of your friends?”
“You should have told me and it’s Jill,” Cindy answered her shortly.
“I was going to when there was something to tell…”
“You told us tonight. Obviously, there’s something to tell,” Cindy reasoned.
Mac’s eyes rolled and she retorted, “Because Jill and I agreed while we were leaving the restaurant that we wanted to see each other…”
“What does that mean?” Cindy interrupted, her arms folding across her chest.
“It means that I want to date her and she wants to date me. Christ, are we in high school and someone forgot to give me the memo?” Mac spit.
“It’s Jill, Mac. You don’t know her like I do.” Cindy softened her tone, marginally, willing Mac to just understand, so she didn’t have to get into what that really met. Her commitment-phobic best friend ran whenever the possibility of a real relationship was even hinted at. The lawyer wasn’t going to change because charismatic, seemingly harmless MacKenzie St. Hill swept her off her feet. They were going to get hurt and Cindy didn’t want to lose anyone in the aftermath.
“I want to,” Mac persisted. “Cindy,” Mac reached out and made a grab for Cindy’s hands, but the reporter stepped back and out of the way. She shook off the rejection and carried on, “Look, I like Jill. I liked her the moment you introduced us. She’s smart, sarcastic and she doesn’t take anyone’s crap. That’s attractive all on its own; add that to her looks...”
“And she’s also terrified of commitment, likes to cheat on her partners and usually runs screaming for the hills after a few dates…” Cindy trailed off, clamping a hand over her mouth. She shook her head and apologized, “Shit, Mac, I didn’t mean…”
Mac shook her head, stopping the apology. “Nice assessment of your best friend, Cindy.”
“I,” Cindy stopped and fidgeted with her hands, her weight shifting from left to right foot. “It’s…she’s been hurt. A lot, Mac.” Knowing she’d already said too much, Cindy figured if she was in for a penny, she’d might as well be in for a pound. “She’s not like you. She didn’t have a family that stuck by her. The closest thing she has to family is Lindsay, Claire and me.”
“And I can’t be that?” Mac wondered. Was she really that bad that one of the people that knew her just as well as her family thought she could be that toxic for another person?
“Do you want to be?” Cindy shot back.
Mac’s eyebrow arced. It was early in the relationship. Mac was the anti-U-haul lesbian and she knew it. “I want to get to know her.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Mac.”
“Christ, Cindy, we just started seeing each other, I’ve known her a week. I’m not going to marry her anytime soon…”
“That’s my point…”
“Your point? I think the fact that I want to get to know her and that I’m not trying to jump in with both feet should get you to see that I’m not out to hurt her. I think there’s potential. I don’t care much about her romantic history. I care about what she does with me. Besides, what about me? Aren’t you worried she could hurt me just as bad?” Mac accused.
“No,” the brutal way the word was spit caused Mac to step back. “You, you slither under people’s skin and you can be a complete bitch to people, Mac and you know what, for some ridiculous reason they still like you. Jill, Jill isn’t that type of girl. You’ll shake it off, get over it and move on because you’re good at that.”
Mac’s eyes narrowed. “Good to know you think so highly of your friends,” she snapped. “Let’s find whoever you’re looking for so I can take you home. I’m not much interested in spending more time with you than I need to right now.”
Cindy’s mouth snapped shut as she watched Mac stalk off up the street.
Not for the first time, Jill sent a silent thank you to whoever was responsible for keeping Papa Joe’s a twenty-four hour establishment. Their food and drinks, especially the coffee and the alcohol, where always perfect when she ordered, it was close to work and a great meeting location for the group.
“Where are they?” Lindsay asked to no one in particular as she looked out of the window from their booth. The inspector’s blunt nails clicked together as she craned her neck up to look further down the street. “You don’t think anything happened do you?”
Claire and Jill exchanged a curious look and the doctor motioned for Jill to take this one. The lawyer took a healthy sip of her coffee and let her eyes drift shut. It had been a trying night to say the least.
It started off great. Good food, good conversation and a beautiful woman. The night depreciated in goodness as soon as Jill took Lindsay’s call. Once she and Mac arrived, hell, for the most part, broke loose. It would have been fine if Lindsay, Claire and Cindy had asked questions or made a fuss and then let it go.
No, that would have been asking too much from her friends.
Claire, as usual, told her to be careful and wished her luck.
Lindsay and Cindy, however, became terse, combative and overtly hostile. Jill was spared Cindy’s ire because Mac took her away, but the lawyer was left with Lindsay. Lindsay in all her glowery, passive aggressive glory. Jill wasn’t sure if she would have preferred to be left with Cindy. Of course it’s not like she had much choice, she went with Lindsay and Claire to Phil Yeo’s apartment to conduct a more thorough search.
Jill was about to push Lindsay back down into the booth when the whine of a motorcycle drew all three sets of eyes in the booth outside. The three women watched the two riders dismount the bike. As helmets came off, Jill could only think about how hot Mac looked in the jacket and boots she had on. Lindsay hissed, “She did not go with that woman on her bike.”
Rolling her eyes, Jill put a hand on Lindsay’s shoulder and pushed her down into the booth. “Chill out, Linds. Mac wouldn’t let anything happen to Cindy.”
“Here we go,” Lindsay snapped.
“Do I need to separate you two?” Claire asked from her seat across them.
They both shook their heads, but Jill stood from the booth and slipped into the spot next to Claire. At the look the doctor gave her, Jill shrugged. “Cindy’s going to want to sit next to Lindsay. I’m just being proactive.”
Lindsay harrumphed and folded her arms across her chest, watching the entrance of the diner. Mac and Cindy came through the entrance a few seconds later and caught Lindsay’s eye. The inspector didn’t wait to bark, “She can’t be here.”
Mac’s eyebrows climbed and she looked at Cindy who shrugged and then to Jill. The blonde crooked a finger at her, motioning her forward despite the declaration from the inspector. Jill leaned up, pecked Mac on the cheek and whispered in her ear, “Ignore her.”
Mac whispered back, “I wasn’t going to leave you anyhow.” She pulled back and noticed Jill’s smirk.
Cindy watched the exchange before sliding into the booth next Lindsay. “Might as well pull up a chair, Mac.”
The woman looked behind her and grabbed a chair from a nearby table to settle in next to Jill.
“You’re really going to stay?” Lindsay asked.
MacKenzie shrugged. “I’m making sure Jill gets home. If that means getting glared at…”
“I call it laser vision,” Cindy supplied unhelpfully.
Mac snickered, “Or laser visioned from you until I need to take her home, then yes, Ins. Boxer, I’m staying.” Mac smiled sweetly, running her hand over Jill’s knee. “I don’t really want involved so if it helps, pretend I’m a piece of furniture and say what you need to.”
“So, Skipper,” Claire butted in, “what did you find out?”
“My contact is going to discreetly ask around for a bit more information. They did say that they knew some bad heroin was circulating the city though,” Cindy answered.
“Do they know who’s dealing it?” Lindsay asked, turning her attention to her girlfriend.
“Nope. They’d ask without being intrusive or obvious, but from what they told me, it’s fresh and hasn’t circulated a lot.” Cindy reached over and pulled Lindsay’s half full cup of coffee towards her to drink.
“At least that may give us some time,” Jill spoke up. “I’ve called Denise already to give her a heads up that there’ll be a story in the Register tomorrow. She’s going to try and get in front of this. She’s woken up our press liaison to release an official statement for the city.”
Mac’s eyebrows rose. “You guys are quick.” Her mouth snapped closed when both Cindy and Lindsay frowned her way.
“What did you find at Yeo’s?” Cindy asked, hoping that they had more to go on.
“We found more dope socked away under the bed in a cubby space behind the dry wall, a few threatening notes in the garbage. It seemed like Yeo owed some very unpleasant people some money.” Lindsay fished in her inside jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “See if you can find anything out about this.”
Cindy took the offered piece of paper and unfolded it. The image was grainy, a copy of a letter and a tag at the bottom. The symbol was easily recognized though; the marking sort of looked like a backwards seven with a line cutting through the leg diagonally with two dots catty corner on opposite sides of the line. “That’s the Do Boys second in command’s symbol.”
Claire’s eyebrows rose, Jill snickered and Lindsay glared. “Why am I not surprised you know the personal signature of one of the meanest Asian gang’s second.” Lindsay plucked the piece of paper out of Cindy’s fingers and declared, “You won’t be publishing that.”
“I wasn’t planning on it. The last person to publicly out any one from the Do Boys ended up in the bay.” Cindy visibly shuttered. “I’ll keep the story away from the gang. I’d rather warn people than put a target on my back.”
“Finally, a sensible decision,” Lindsay snickered.
“That gives us someplace to start,” Jill tried to further the conversation along. “What’s next?”
“I need to get to the Register and start on this if we want it to hit the morning addition.” Cindy turned to Lindsay, “Come with me and then go back to yours?”
“Sounds good,” Lindsay agreed.
“I need to get home before Ed decides to change the locks,” Claire filled them in on her plans.
Mac stood and allowed Jill and Claire out of the booth while Lindsay and Cindy prepared to leave.
“Claire, I’ll see you and Jill in the morning?” the inspector asked, looking expectantly between the two women.
“Bright and early,” Jill chirped as she put down a ten to cover their bill.
“Till tomorrow, ladies,” Claire said, slipping on her jacket. “Mac, I’m sure we’ll see each other soon.”
“Goodnight, Claire,” Mac offered as the doctor made her way to the door. She turned her attention to Cindy and Lindsay.
She wasn’t expecting anything and it was exactly that as they both ignored her and said their goodbyes to Jill. Mac watched the exchange and waited for the two to disappear out the door before speaking up, “So, home?”
Jill rubbed her tired eyes and nodded.
A breeze picked up causing Jill to tug a little tighter on Mac’s riding jacket currently draped across her shoulders. It wasn’t freezing, but the air was wet and chilly. Mac, in the top she wore on their date earlier, seemed unfazed as she leaned against her bike and watched Jill.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” Jill whined quietly.
“For our date ending too soon or the bounty placed on my head by Lindsay and Cindy?” Mac couldn’t help tease the other woman.
Jill ducked her head. “Uh, both?”
Reaching out, Mac grabbed Jill’s left hand and threaded their fingers together. “Well, the date part of the night couldn’t have gone better, don’t you think?”
Jill allowed herself to be tugged forward, her thighs coming to rest against Mac’s bent knees. She grinned as Mac brought Jill’s arms up to rest against her chest. The lawyer relaxed a little and enjoyed the warmth being offered. “You’re a heater.”
Mac giggled. “Yeah, it’s the east coast winters. I’m immune to temperatures above freezing.” Mac made her eyebrows dance and wiggled her hips.
“Hmmm,” Jill hummed and ducked her head to rest in the crook of Mac’s neck. She breathed in scents of citrus from Mac’s shampoo. Turning her nose into the skin on display she inhaled again. She wasn’t quite able to place the scent, but it was spicy and rich. “Hmm, what are you wearing?” she mumbled into the other woman’s neck.
“Clothes and a leggy blonde, right now,” Mac answered seriously.
That caused Jill to pull pack and swat at her shoulder. “Seriously?”
Mac’s mouth quirked up on the right and she shrugged. “It’s a Shea butter and Frankincense lotion if you’re referring to why I smell delicious.”
“Wow, and they say my ego’s big.” Jill bit her lip and looked down.
“My ego’s right-sized, thank you very much.” Mac’s nose angled up defiantly. “I smell delicious, I’ve been told so on several different occasions.” She brought a hand up and trailed it over Jill’s cheek. “I’m just trying to keep up. I can’t seem like a schlub next to you. Whatever will people think?”
“Schlub?” Jill mocked.
“You know, unkempt, messy, not deserving to lick the bottom of your very sexy and very stylish pumps,” Mac supplied.
“I know what it means,” Jill groaned playfully. “I just didn’t think people under the age of seventy used the word.”
“Hey, I’m trying to bring it back. Cut me some slack.” Mac’s face soured and she shook her head. “And let’s pretend that didn’t rhyme, please?”
“Nope. I’ll use it to mock you later.” She adjusted her position and wrapped her arms around Mac’s neck. “How was Cindy?” Jill felt the woman tense under her and silently kicked herself. “Nevermind.”
“No,” Mac shook her head, “Cindy was…” She stopped and chewed on her lower lip. Part of her wanted to toss Cindy under the bus. Mac still wasn’t happy with her friend. She was mean and intentional or not, hurtful. But, her conversation with Cindy was just that, her conversation. Jill didn’t need to know the particulars and wounded or not, Mac couldn’t bring herself to cause any more damage to their relationship. So she sighed and shrugged. “We’ll be okay.”
Jill’s eyebrow quirked up.
“Really. Cindy and I will be good. We still need to work some stuff out, but she’s concerned that we’ll get hurt.” Mac paused trying to gauge Jill’s reaction. When the blonde offered little reaction, Mac further supplied, “She’s being a good friend. Don’t worry about anything else. What about you and Claire and Lindsay?”
Jill offered her own shrug at that. “Claire was surprised, but relatively supportive. Lindsay…I’m thinking she was similar to how Cindy reacted to you. They worry.”
“You worry, too,” Mac defended.
“I do, but I was also a big supporter of Lindsay finally agreeing to Cindy’s multiple requests for a date,” Jill told her. “Lindsay’s slow to trust.” Jill’s cheeks puffed out before she let the air out slowly and studied Mac. “You want to come upstairs?” she ventured, hopefully.
Mac groaned. “I…” she paused and licked her lips, “I want to, Jill. I just don’t think I…”
Jill didn’t give Mac time to finish before pulling away and standing upright. “Again, really?”
“Jill,” Mac half pleaded, “I just, I want to. Really, really want to. I just think that I want to do this right, too.”
Jill’s eyes narrowed as she folded her arms across her chest. “Is this about your mom?”
“My what?” Mac asked, eyebrows bunching together. “Oh, no,” she rushed to explain, “I like you, a lot. I want to do this right. Me going upstairs will result in little-to-no clothing and very happy late night activities…”
“So, the problem is?” Jill pressed.
Mac frowned and pushed off the bike to stand flush against Jill. She hadn’t really intended to explain herself, but judging by the look the blonde was giving her, she rethought that decision and asked instead, “Do you really want to know? And before you just say yes,” Mac pressed a finger against Jill’s lips, stopping the other woman from speaking, “I will always give you an honest answer; you just can’t be upset by the response.”
Jill shook her head and dislodged the finger. “Yes, I want to know.”
“I’d like to think we have more than just a fantastic and admittedly hard to resist physical attraction. If I go upstairs, making us into more may be hard. I want to give ‘us’ a chance before I rock your world.” Mac smiled, broad and inviting, hoping to ease some of the tension.
“So there’s an ‘us’ now?” Jill mocked.
Mac nodded exaggeratedly and continued to smile, praying that it got her out of the semi-warm water she had put herself in rejecting Jill’s advances for the second time.
“And really, rock my world?” the attorney scoffed.
The scoff was the leverage needed and Mac took it. “I’m certified gold star and an obnoxious overachiever, I promise.” She leaned in and nipped the attorney’s chin. “I’ll make it worth the wait.”
Jill pulled back slightly making sure the other woman caught her eye roll. “Fine, but if I don’t see stars when we do have sex, we’re done.”
“Deal.” Mac stepped away, took Jill’s hand and led them up to Jill’s stoop. “You have an early morning and I promised Ozzie an early morning jaunt.”
“Ozzie?”
“My dog. You’ll be properly introduced soon enough.” Mac answered. “You should get some sleep and call me tomorrow to tell me where you’re taking me on our next date.”
“Where I’m taking you?” Jill rolled the idea around in her head, causing her to tilt her head to the side and study Mac.
“Well, yeah. You still know the city better than me.” She leaned down and pecked Jill’s lips, lingering briefly as she tasted the lip gloss the attorney was wearing. She didn’t give Jill a chance to respond. Instead, she spun on her heel, skipped down the steps to her bike and hopped on.
“Mac!” Jill called after her, “Your jacket!”
Mac secured her helmet before flipping the visor up and answering, “Keep it. I have another and you look hot in my jacket.” Snapping her visor back in place, she hit the ignition switch on the Duc, reved up the engine and sped off with Jill holding up the coat behind her.
Jill watched the lights of the bike crest and disappear behind a hill. She shook her head and opened her door, muttering, “She’s crazy.”
Next>>>
Disclaimer: Not my characters - except for one or two. The rest of the ladies and gentleman contained herein belong to entities with a higher pay grade. Thanks for allowing li’l ole me to play; I promise to return them as I found them…just like the tools I borrowed from dad when I was a kid. Also, this is unbeta’d so…mistakes are really all me. Sorry about that.
Fandom: Women’s Murder Club - TV show only.
Pairing: Lindsay/Cindy, Jill/OC.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: An old college friend of Cindy’s moves to town and shakes things up.
Ch. 6 - Eye to Eye
“Augie…” Mac tried again to talk Cindy out of tracking down one of her sources at ten o’clock at night. Cindy dismissed the plaintive tone and took off up the street. It wasn’t late, but it was getting there. They had spent forty-five minutes in the morgue either talking over each other or glaring.
It was borderline ludicrous. Mac knew that there would be some shock associated with her and Jill. She prepped for it, but she wasn’t expecting Cindy’s anger.
And boy was her Augie mad.
Mac just couldn’t figure out why.
But with the way Cindy was acting, Mac being on the receiving end of the infamous Thomas Freeze Out, she knew from past experience to let the woman simmer and eventually she’d let Mac really have it. It was going to happen soon, they’d already suffered through waiting on Jill to get additional warrants needed for their victims search and the trek back to Mac’s place to pick up a bike. During which, she tried to convince Cindy to not go hunt down an informant. She was met with glares, ‘shut up’s or a variation or combination of the two. They couldn’t really talk on the ride over. Now, after having parked the bike and securing the lock, Mac looked around the neighborhood she found herself.
It reminded her of New York north of a Hundred-twenty-fifth. It was an area she never really wanted to be in when she lived in the city and with the looks of her current surroundings, she wasn’t comfortable with Cindy being there either.
Mac trailed Cindy as they worked their way uphill, hands stuffed in the pockets of her riding jacket. When Cindy whipped around and jammed a finger in her chest, she wasn’t all that shocked. She was a little surprised by the words that poured out of her friend’s mouth. “What the hell are you thinking Mac? I mean what, you show up after a few years and turn on that damn charm and what…? Set out to hurt one of my best friends?”
Mac’s posture stiffened as she backed up against the stuccoed wall of the building behind her. “I’m sorry, I what?”
“You, you and your…” Cindy growled and ran a hand through her hair. “You just…I mean really it’s classic MacKenzie. You find a girl and you wine and dine her, get her all worked up and as soon as you’re done having your fun and lose interest, you cut her off.”
Mac’s brow knitted together, immediately souring at the description Cindy painted of her. “Is that really what you think I do?”
“Well, let’s see,” Cindy raised her hand and started ticking off a few names, “Jessica Oiler, Stephanie Green and Jennifer Picard. I mean those are the ones that I talked to and tried to explain to them that you just weren’t ‘in to it’ like you said.”
Mac snickered. Of all the things Cindy was going to bring up, she wanted to bring up the few one night stands she had during her junior year. “That’s pretty low, Cindy. I didn’t make any promises to any of those girls.”
“Maybe not, but you still managed to hurt them just the same. Jill’s my friend, Mac. She’s like fam…no, she is family,” Cindy persisted.
“What about Michelle, are you forgetting about the girl I followed to New York?” Mac argued. “Sure I’ve had my share of involvements that weren’t serious, I didn’t think you’d fault me for that, but why are you forgetting about the girl I followed across the country?”
“And just how long did you and Michelle last after you moved?” Cindy spat.
“Two years, Cindy.” Mac pushed off against the wall to step into Cindy’s personal space. “I get that you care, but give me a little bit of credit, please.”
Cindy shook her head and bit her lip.
“Why?” Mac asked, trying to gauge her friend, trying to understand why the reporter seemed so upset by the two dates, which they finally agreed upon during the ride over to the Hall, they had been on. “Why are you so upset by a couple of dates between two of your friends?”
“You should have told me and it’s Jill,” Cindy answered her shortly.
“I was going to when there was something to tell…”
“You told us tonight. Obviously, there’s something to tell,” Cindy reasoned.
Mac’s eyes rolled and she retorted, “Because Jill and I agreed while we were leaving the restaurant that we wanted to see each other…”
“What does that mean?” Cindy interrupted, her arms folding across her chest.
“It means that I want to date her and she wants to date me. Christ, are we in high school and someone forgot to give me the memo?” Mac spit.
“It’s Jill, Mac. You don’t know her like I do.” Cindy softened her tone, marginally, willing Mac to just understand, so she didn’t have to get into what that really met. Her commitment-phobic best friend ran whenever the possibility of a real relationship was even hinted at. The lawyer wasn’t going to change because charismatic, seemingly harmless MacKenzie St. Hill swept her off her feet. They were going to get hurt and Cindy didn’t want to lose anyone in the aftermath.
“I want to,” Mac persisted. “Cindy,” Mac reached out and made a grab for Cindy’s hands, but the reporter stepped back and out of the way. She shook off the rejection and carried on, “Look, I like Jill. I liked her the moment you introduced us. She’s smart, sarcastic and she doesn’t take anyone’s crap. That’s attractive all on its own; add that to her looks...”
“And she’s also terrified of commitment, likes to cheat on her partners and usually runs screaming for the hills after a few dates…” Cindy trailed off, clamping a hand over her mouth. She shook her head and apologized, “Shit, Mac, I didn’t mean…”
Mac shook her head, stopping the apology. “Nice assessment of your best friend, Cindy.”
“I,” Cindy stopped and fidgeted with her hands, her weight shifting from left to right foot. “It’s…she’s been hurt. A lot, Mac.” Knowing she’d already said too much, Cindy figured if she was in for a penny, she’d might as well be in for a pound. “She’s not like you. She didn’t have a family that stuck by her. The closest thing she has to family is Lindsay, Claire and me.”
“And I can’t be that?” Mac wondered. Was she really that bad that one of the people that knew her just as well as her family thought she could be that toxic for another person?
“Do you want to be?” Cindy shot back.
Mac’s eyebrow arced. It was early in the relationship. Mac was the anti-U-haul lesbian and she knew it. “I want to get to know her.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Mac.”
“Christ, Cindy, we just started seeing each other, I’ve known her a week. I’m not going to marry her anytime soon…”
“That’s my point…”
“Your point? I think the fact that I want to get to know her and that I’m not trying to jump in with both feet should get you to see that I’m not out to hurt her. I think there’s potential. I don’t care much about her romantic history. I care about what she does with me. Besides, what about me? Aren’t you worried she could hurt me just as bad?” Mac accused.
“No,” the brutal way the word was spit caused Mac to step back. “You, you slither under people’s skin and you can be a complete bitch to people, Mac and you know what, for some ridiculous reason they still like you. Jill, Jill isn’t that type of girl. You’ll shake it off, get over it and move on because you’re good at that.”
Mac’s eyes narrowed. “Good to know you think so highly of your friends,” she snapped. “Let’s find whoever you’re looking for so I can take you home. I’m not much interested in spending more time with you than I need to right now.”
Cindy’s mouth snapped shut as she watched Mac stalk off up the street.
Not for the first time, Jill sent a silent thank you to whoever was responsible for keeping Papa Joe’s a twenty-four hour establishment. Their food and drinks, especially the coffee and the alcohol, where always perfect when she ordered, it was close to work and a great meeting location for the group.
“Where are they?” Lindsay asked to no one in particular as she looked out of the window from their booth. The inspector’s blunt nails clicked together as she craned her neck up to look further down the street. “You don’t think anything happened do you?”
Claire and Jill exchanged a curious look and the doctor motioned for Jill to take this one. The lawyer took a healthy sip of her coffee and let her eyes drift shut. It had been a trying night to say the least.
It started off great. Good food, good conversation and a beautiful woman. The night depreciated in goodness as soon as Jill took Lindsay’s call. Once she and Mac arrived, hell, for the most part, broke loose. It would have been fine if Lindsay, Claire and Cindy had asked questions or made a fuss and then let it go.
No, that would have been asking too much from her friends.
Claire, as usual, told her to be careful and wished her luck.
Lindsay and Cindy, however, became terse, combative and overtly hostile. Jill was spared Cindy’s ire because Mac took her away, but the lawyer was left with Lindsay. Lindsay in all her glowery, passive aggressive glory. Jill wasn’t sure if she would have preferred to be left with Cindy. Of course it’s not like she had much choice, she went with Lindsay and Claire to Phil Yeo’s apartment to conduct a more thorough search.
Jill was about to push Lindsay back down into the booth when the whine of a motorcycle drew all three sets of eyes in the booth outside. The three women watched the two riders dismount the bike. As helmets came off, Jill could only think about how hot Mac looked in the jacket and boots she had on. Lindsay hissed, “She did not go with that woman on her bike.”
Rolling her eyes, Jill put a hand on Lindsay’s shoulder and pushed her down into the booth. “Chill out, Linds. Mac wouldn’t let anything happen to Cindy.”
“Here we go,” Lindsay snapped.
“Do I need to separate you two?” Claire asked from her seat across them.
They both shook their heads, but Jill stood from the booth and slipped into the spot next to Claire. At the look the doctor gave her, Jill shrugged. “Cindy’s going to want to sit next to Lindsay. I’m just being proactive.”
Lindsay harrumphed and folded her arms across her chest, watching the entrance of the diner. Mac and Cindy came through the entrance a few seconds later and caught Lindsay’s eye. The inspector didn’t wait to bark, “She can’t be here.”
Mac’s eyebrows climbed and she looked at Cindy who shrugged and then to Jill. The blonde crooked a finger at her, motioning her forward despite the declaration from the inspector. Jill leaned up, pecked Mac on the cheek and whispered in her ear, “Ignore her.”
Mac whispered back, “I wasn’t going to leave you anyhow.” She pulled back and noticed Jill’s smirk.
Cindy watched the exchange before sliding into the booth next Lindsay. “Might as well pull up a chair, Mac.”
The woman looked behind her and grabbed a chair from a nearby table to settle in next to Jill.
“You’re really going to stay?” Lindsay asked.
MacKenzie shrugged. “I’m making sure Jill gets home. If that means getting glared at…”
“I call it laser vision,” Cindy supplied unhelpfully.
Mac snickered, “Or laser visioned from you until I need to take her home, then yes, Ins. Boxer, I’m staying.” Mac smiled sweetly, running her hand over Jill’s knee. “I don’t really want involved so if it helps, pretend I’m a piece of furniture and say what you need to.”
“So, Skipper,” Claire butted in, “what did you find out?”
“My contact is going to discreetly ask around for a bit more information. They did say that they knew some bad heroin was circulating the city though,” Cindy answered.
“Do they know who’s dealing it?” Lindsay asked, turning her attention to her girlfriend.
“Nope. They’d ask without being intrusive or obvious, but from what they told me, it’s fresh and hasn’t circulated a lot.” Cindy reached over and pulled Lindsay’s half full cup of coffee towards her to drink.
“At least that may give us some time,” Jill spoke up. “I’ve called Denise already to give her a heads up that there’ll be a story in the Register tomorrow. She’s going to try and get in front of this. She’s woken up our press liaison to release an official statement for the city.”
Mac’s eyebrows rose. “You guys are quick.” Her mouth snapped closed when both Cindy and Lindsay frowned her way.
“What did you find at Yeo’s?” Cindy asked, hoping that they had more to go on.
“We found more dope socked away under the bed in a cubby space behind the dry wall, a few threatening notes in the garbage. It seemed like Yeo owed some very unpleasant people some money.” Lindsay fished in her inside jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “See if you can find anything out about this.”
Cindy took the offered piece of paper and unfolded it. The image was grainy, a copy of a letter and a tag at the bottom. The symbol was easily recognized though; the marking sort of looked like a backwards seven with a line cutting through the leg diagonally with two dots catty corner on opposite sides of the line. “That’s the Do Boys second in command’s symbol.”
Claire’s eyebrows rose, Jill snickered and Lindsay glared. “Why am I not surprised you know the personal signature of one of the meanest Asian gang’s second.” Lindsay plucked the piece of paper out of Cindy’s fingers and declared, “You won’t be publishing that.”
“I wasn’t planning on it. The last person to publicly out any one from the Do Boys ended up in the bay.” Cindy visibly shuttered. “I’ll keep the story away from the gang. I’d rather warn people than put a target on my back.”
“Finally, a sensible decision,” Lindsay snickered.
“That gives us someplace to start,” Jill tried to further the conversation along. “What’s next?”
“I need to get to the Register and start on this if we want it to hit the morning addition.” Cindy turned to Lindsay, “Come with me and then go back to yours?”
“Sounds good,” Lindsay agreed.
“I need to get home before Ed decides to change the locks,” Claire filled them in on her plans.
Mac stood and allowed Jill and Claire out of the booth while Lindsay and Cindy prepared to leave.
“Claire, I’ll see you and Jill in the morning?” the inspector asked, looking expectantly between the two women.
“Bright and early,” Jill chirped as she put down a ten to cover their bill.
“Till tomorrow, ladies,” Claire said, slipping on her jacket. “Mac, I’m sure we’ll see each other soon.”
“Goodnight, Claire,” Mac offered as the doctor made her way to the door. She turned her attention to Cindy and Lindsay.
She wasn’t expecting anything and it was exactly that as they both ignored her and said their goodbyes to Jill. Mac watched the exchange and waited for the two to disappear out the door before speaking up, “So, home?”
Jill rubbed her tired eyes and nodded.
A breeze picked up causing Jill to tug a little tighter on Mac’s riding jacket currently draped across her shoulders. It wasn’t freezing, but the air was wet and chilly. Mac, in the top she wore on their date earlier, seemed unfazed as she leaned against her bike and watched Jill.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” Jill whined quietly.
“For our date ending too soon or the bounty placed on my head by Lindsay and Cindy?” Mac couldn’t help tease the other woman.
Jill ducked her head. “Uh, both?”
Reaching out, Mac grabbed Jill’s left hand and threaded their fingers together. “Well, the date part of the night couldn’t have gone better, don’t you think?”
Jill allowed herself to be tugged forward, her thighs coming to rest against Mac’s bent knees. She grinned as Mac brought Jill’s arms up to rest against her chest. The lawyer relaxed a little and enjoyed the warmth being offered. “You’re a heater.”
Mac giggled. “Yeah, it’s the east coast winters. I’m immune to temperatures above freezing.” Mac made her eyebrows dance and wiggled her hips.
“Hmmm,” Jill hummed and ducked her head to rest in the crook of Mac’s neck. She breathed in scents of citrus from Mac’s shampoo. Turning her nose into the skin on display she inhaled again. She wasn’t quite able to place the scent, but it was spicy and rich. “Hmm, what are you wearing?” she mumbled into the other woman’s neck.
“Clothes and a leggy blonde, right now,” Mac answered seriously.
That caused Jill to pull pack and swat at her shoulder. “Seriously?”
Mac’s mouth quirked up on the right and she shrugged. “It’s a Shea butter and Frankincense lotion if you’re referring to why I smell delicious.”
“Wow, and they say my ego’s big.” Jill bit her lip and looked down.
“My ego’s right-sized, thank you very much.” Mac’s nose angled up defiantly. “I smell delicious, I’ve been told so on several different occasions.” She brought a hand up and trailed it over Jill’s cheek. “I’m just trying to keep up. I can’t seem like a schlub next to you. Whatever will people think?”
“Schlub?” Jill mocked.
“You know, unkempt, messy, not deserving to lick the bottom of your very sexy and very stylish pumps,” Mac supplied.
“I know what it means,” Jill groaned playfully. “I just didn’t think people under the age of seventy used the word.”
“Hey, I’m trying to bring it back. Cut me some slack.” Mac’s face soured and she shook her head. “And let’s pretend that didn’t rhyme, please?”
“Nope. I’ll use it to mock you later.” She adjusted her position and wrapped her arms around Mac’s neck. “How was Cindy?” Jill felt the woman tense under her and silently kicked herself. “Nevermind.”
“No,” Mac shook her head, “Cindy was…” She stopped and chewed on her lower lip. Part of her wanted to toss Cindy under the bus. Mac still wasn’t happy with her friend. She was mean and intentional or not, hurtful. But, her conversation with Cindy was just that, her conversation. Jill didn’t need to know the particulars and wounded or not, Mac couldn’t bring herself to cause any more damage to their relationship. So she sighed and shrugged. “We’ll be okay.”
Jill’s eyebrow quirked up.
“Really. Cindy and I will be good. We still need to work some stuff out, but she’s concerned that we’ll get hurt.” Mac paused trying to gauge Jill’s reaction. When the blonde offered little reaction, Mac further supplied, “She’s being a good friend. Don’t worry about anything else. What about you and Claire and Lindsay?”
Jill offered her own shrug at that. “Claire was surprised, but relatively supportive. Lindsay…I’m thinking she was similar to how Cindy reacted to you. They worry.”
“You worry, too,” Mac defended.
“I do, but I was also a big supporter of Lindsay finally agreeing to Cindy’s multiple requests for a date,” Jill told her. “Lindsay’s slow to trust.” Jill’s cheeks puffed out before she let the air out slowly and studied Mac. “You want to come upstairs?” she ventured, hopefully.
Mac groaned. “I…” she paused and licked her lips, “I want to, Jill. I just don’t think I…”
Jill didn’t give Mac time to finish before pulling away and standing upright. “Again, really?”
“Jill,” Mac half pleaded, “I just, I want to. Really, really want to. I just think that I want to do this right, too.”
Jill’s eyes narrowed as she folded her arms across her chest. “Is this about your mom?”
“My what?” Mac asked, eyebrows bunching together. “Oh, no,” she rushed to explain, “I like you, a lot. I want to do this right. Me going upstairs will result in little-to-no clothing and very happy late night activities…”
“So, the problem is?” Jill pressed.
Mac frowned and pushed off the bike to stand flush against Jill. She hadn’t really intended to explain herself, but judging by the look the blonde was giving her, she rethought that decision and asked instead, “Do you really want to know? And before you just say yes,” Mac pressed a finger against Jill’s lips, stopping the other woman from speaking, “I will always give you an honest answer; you just can’t be upset by the response.”
Jill shook her head and dislodged the finger. “Yes, I want to know.”
“I’d like to think we have more than just a fantastic and admittedly hard to resist physical attraction. If I go upstairs, making us into more may be hard. I want to give ‘us’ a chance before I rock your world.” Mac smiled, broad and inviting, hoping to ease some of the tension.
“So there’s an ‘us’ now?” Jill mocked.
Mac nodded exaggeratedly and continued to smile, praying that it got her out of the semi-warm water she had put herself in rejecting Jill’s advances for the second time.
“And really, rock my world?” the attorney scoffed.
The scoff was the leverage needed and Mac took it. “I’m certified gold star and an obnoxious overachiever, I promise.” She leaned in and nipped the attorney’s chin. “I’ll make it worth the wait.”
Jill pulled back slightly making sure the other woman caught her eye roll. “Fine, but if I don’t see stars when we do have sex, we’re done.”
“Deal.” Mac stepped away, took Jill’s hand and led them up to Jill’s stoop. “You have an early morning and I promised Ozzie an early morning jaunt.”
“Ozzie?”
“My dog. You’ll be properly introduced soon enough.” Mac answered. “You should get some sleep and call me tomorrow to tell me where you’re taking me on our next date.”
“Where I’m taking you?” Jill rolled the idea around in her head, causing her to tilt her head to the side and study Mac.
“Well, yeah. You still know the city better than me.” She leaned down and pecked Jill’s lips, lingering briefly as she tasted the lip gloss the attorney was wearing. She didn’t give Jill a chance to respond. Instead, she spun on her heel, skipped down the steps to her bike and hopped on.
“Mac!” Jill called after her, “Your jacket!”
Mac secured her helmet before flipping the visor up and answering, “Keep it. I have another and you look hot in my jacket.” Snapping her visor back in place, she hit the ignition switch on the Duc, reved up the engine and sped off with Jill holding up the coat behind her.
Jill watched the lights of the bike crest and disappear behind a hill. She shook her head and opened her door, muttering, “She’s crazy.”
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