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“Our dead guy’s name is Dabney Charles, otherwise known as Sir Charles,” Harvey said, handing the file over to Nash as he briefed everyone. “He considered himself a gentleman cat burglar. He only stole from people that wouldn’t miss it or, better yet, people who couldn’t report it. On top of that, he was one of the leading competitors in men’s gymnastics. He managed to finance his bid for Olympic gold for six years before he was finally busted. He spent the next five years as a volunteer for the state and went into teaching gymnastics once he was paroled. The guy hasn’t had so much as a parking ticket since.”

“So how did Sir Charles end up as our dead guy?” Joe asked as he glanced down at the file in Nash’s hand.

“My bet is that it has something to do with the assistant coach at Mercy High,” Harvey continued. “A less than model parolee, who’s working on her third strike, Jackie Patterson, otherwise known as Jackie Pat.”

“Jackie Pat the systems rat,” Nash quoted the familiar phrase.

“Who?” Rachel asked when everyone else seemed to be clued in, but her.

“She made a name for herself finding the loopholes in the system and slipping through on major charges more than once,” Harvey responded.

Antwon opened up the file he was holding and quickly shifted through the pages. “You wouldn’t happen to know if she’s been seeing Gary Bledsoe, would you?”

“Don’t know. Why?”

Antwon wracked his memory, but the particular conversation he was trying to recall wasn’t coming to him. “All I’ve got written down is Jackie, but I’m almost positive I heard Bledsoe call his girlfriend Jackie Pat.”

“And Bledsoe would be the security guy from the blackout burglaries?” Nash easily followed Antwon’s train of thought.

“Right. He owns Havens Security. He has been scamming to get back former clients by having their houses robbed after they drop Havens Security. Not only does he get to keep the goodies, but four out of the six families who were robbed now have Havens Security back on the job.”

“So, in essence, he’s getting paid not to rob them.” Harvey clarified. He shook his head. “Sounds like this guy has been watching too many Godfather sequels.”

“I was able to figure out who was behind the burglaries, but without the guys actually pulling off the job, I couldn’t link him to means,” Antwon admitted.

“So you’re saying that Jackie Pat was using one boyfriend to pull off the robberies for boyfriend number two?” Rachel asked skeptically.

Nash shrugged. “Not necessarily a boyfriend with Dabney Charles,” he thought aloud. “My guess is that she had something on him. Jackie Pat doesn’t like to put herself into a situation where she doesn’t control most of the cards.”

“You don’t think she could have masterminded it, do you?” Joe asked.

“It’s a little subtle for Jackie Pat,” Harvey volunteered. “She’s more the smash and grab type.”

“That’s what I’m thinking too,” Nash agreed. “She may have had a hand in the planning, but someone else is calling the shots.” He looked over at Antwon. “Is this Bledsoe guy capable of pulling off this sort of scam?”

“Absolutely,” Antwon returned without hesitation.

“All right. Harvey and Antwon. I want you to connect the dots with Bledsoe and Jackie Pat. Get us what we need to bring them in here.

Rachel watched Harvey and Antwon walk off, then looked over at Nash. He gave Joe some last minute instructions before leaving with Rachel quick on his heels. “Nash?” she started hesitantly. Even though she had most of the day to think about what she wanted to say, she was still nervous at the topic. When he turned around, she tried to stop herself from fidgeting. “Can we talk for a second?”

He could tell from one look what the topic would be. He was going to initiate the conversation himself before the night was out if she hadn’t. “Absolutely.” He glanced around at the large number of people still milling about even thought the evening was growing late. He gestured to the railing outside and received a nod in return. “I don’t suppose that I have to ask what this is about,” he said with a smile.

She shook her head and chuckled nervously. Her palms were actually sweating. She couldn’t remember that happening since her med school days. “I don’t know how it happened,” she said in all honesty as she stared at Nash in the moonlight. “I’ve always known that there was some sort of an attraction between us, but never even considered it past that. I certainly had no intention of acting on it.”

He rolled his eyes slightly. “That’s really flattering.”

She sighed heavily. “You’re not making this any easier, you know.” He held up a hand in surrender and she took a moment to get her train of thought back. She needed to get everything out. Messing with the boss had to be the dumbest thing she had ever done since joining the force. “Nash, it’s not that I don’t care about you because I do. You’re like the brother I’ve never had. A mentor even.”

He smiled uneasily. “Thank you for not saying father.”

“Definitely wouldn’t say that.” She laughed just as uneasily, then grew quiet, contemplative. There was no easy way to start and she certainly didn’t want to become philosophical and take a chance on being misunderstood. “I love Harvey, Nash,” she said, honest and to the point. “It was that kiss that made me realize how much.” With that one kiss, she knew that she had risked the best thing that she had ever had and that terrified her. “I’ve never put much stock in romance novels,” she explained. “And I’ve always thought that poets were smoking some really good grass when they talked about soul mates.” She shook her head with a smile, trying to steer away from the dark thoughts of what she could have lost. “I didn’t think that it was possible to be the other half of someone, to fill that void so completely.”

Images of Victoria began to fill his mind. “I know what you mean,” he returned softly.

She looked up into his eyes once more. She could see something in the depths, but knew it wasn’t for her. Someone else was on his mind. Someone special. “But now that I know it’s true,” she continued, “I’ll never be a whole person again without him. And now I’ve done the one thing that will push him away.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Nash stated firmly.

Rachel shook her head. The last thing that she wanted was for him to assume the blame. “Nash, I’m not going to let you....”

“It never happened,” he reiterated, tipping his head to one side as he studied her face. She really did love Harvey. He could see it in her eyes. And there wasn’t any doubt about how Harvey felt for her. It was about time that they both realized it. “You know, you’re not the only one that cares about Harvey. Not only is he a great cop, but he’s one of the best men that I know.” He turned and leaned his elbows on the rail as he gazed out over the skyline. And then there was Victoria. Rachel wasn’t the only one risking someone special by that one kiss. “I can’t even imagine what the SIU would be like without him.” He looked over at her to drive home his point. “And I don’t want to find out.”

She smiled again. “Agreed.” She knew Nash loved Harvey like a brother. She only wished that he would tell Harvey that some day. Her smile grew as that weight was lifted from her shoulders. There had been nothing behind the kiss that they had share. It had just been a rash impulse that never should have taken place and she was grateful to put it in their past. “You’re not a bad kisser, you know,” she commented and nearly started to laugh when she saw his startled expression. “Harvey’s better, but...”

“Watch it,” he growled.

* * *

Harvey watched the rearview mirror as he sat at the stoplight. He knew that he had seen that black SUV again. He was sure of it and he was tired of feeling paranoid. When the light changed, he took the corner, then turned his PT Cruiser up the alley and floored it.

“Whoa! Harvey!” Antwon yelled as he grabbed for the door and the dash to steady himself. He shot a look in Harvey’s direction and saw that he was focused on his driving and the mirrors. “Fill me in on what’s going down, man.”

“I’m being followed by a SUV.” His tires squealed when he pulled out onto the street again, the back end fish-tailing before he could right it. The driver of the car that he nearly slammed into blared his horn, but Harvey’s eyes were on the intersection that he had just backtracked to.

“Now I’ve got you,” he whispered as the black SUV passed in front of him. Unfortunately, the sound of the car horn alerted the driver of the SUV and the chase was on.

As soon as Harvey took the corner, Antwon spotted their prey. “He made you,” he said when the other vehicle made a path down the sidewalk to get out of traffic.

“You think?” Harvey did the best he could to follow. “See if you can get a plate.”

“He’s making a left!” Antwon yelled as soon as the SUV came back into sight.

Harvey darted across the street and down into the alleyway. They could hear the horns blaring one block away and knew that the driver of the other vehicle was wreaking havoc. Traffic was light when Harvey took the next corner so he was easily able to fall into pursuit once more. They were only half a block away when the SUV turned right, but when Harvey did the same, he slammed on his breaks, his mouth dropping open. Three identical black SUVs were sitting at the next light. “Which one?” he demanded when they started to move.

Antwon was staring with the same stunned expression. “I have no idea! I didn’t get the number.” He sighed heavily when all three SUVs took different directions. Picking one would be pointless. They hadn’t got a look at the driver. Again his head whipped around to look at his partner. “You want to tell me what is going on now?”

Harvey shook his head as he put the PT Cruiser back into traffic. “I wish I could, but I don’t have a clue. For the past week, I’ve been noticing a dark green sedan and a black SUV hanging around.”

“Harv, do you have any idea how many dark sedans and SUVs we have in this city alone?” he asked in disbelief.

“I know, I know! It’s just a little too coincidental, Twon. I know that these guys are following me and, unless I miss my guess, they’re professionals.”

“What makes you think that?”

Harvey gestured to the light they were now sitting at. “They didn’t run when they saw the other identical vehicles,” he said in explanation. “They were hiding in plane sight. You’ve got to have a cool head to pull that one off. Only a pro would be ready for any circumstance.”

Antwon watched the traffic as he thought about that. “They’ll be ready for you next time.” He looked over at Harvey again. “You need some help.”

* * *

“If you want to pass me the lettuce, I’ll get that salad going,” Nash said to Nick as they prepared their dinner.

“Small pieces,” Nick instructed, then turned around to wag a finger at his son. “We’ve got a lady in the house. Let’s keep it classy. We don’t want to have to fight with a lettuce leaf.”

Nash’s brows drew together at his father’s concern for every little detail around the apartment since Victoria became a regular visitor. “Okay Nick,” he said, then chuckled. “Make sure you get those spots off the glasses,” he countered, chuckling again when Nick quickly inspected the glasses by holding them up to the light.

“Don’t let him get to you, Nick,” Victoria said as she glided into the kitchen to wrap her arms around Nash’s neck. “I happen to appreciate the extra effort you put into everything.” When Nick’s smile grew, she thought she detected a blush as well and she bowed respectfully. “You’re a real gentleman Nick. It’s a shame none of it has rubbed off on your son.”

“What is this? Take a shot at Nash day?” Nash grumbled in response.

“I’d like to put in a vote on that,” Cassidy said as she made her way down the wooden steps into the apartment. “Daddy. We need to talk.”

“We’re just about to sit down to dinner, Cassidy. Would you like to join us?” Victoria asked politely.

She opened her mouth to decline, then closed it again just as quickly as her eyes fell on the delectable meal set out on the counter. She couldn’t remember the last time that they had roast. “Actually, that sounds great.”

Victoria looked over at Nash, then gave him a light peck on the cheek before moving to collect and extra set of dishes. Nash watched her out of the corner of his eye for a few seconds, then turned his attention to the new arrival. “So I guess this is the start of round two. Ding.”

“I didn’t come over here to fight, Daddy. I just want you to understand that this is my business. Not yours.”

Nash pointed half a head of lettuce at her. “You made it everyone’s business when you walk into an unknown situation without backup. It’s stuff like that which get people dead. You knew that there were at least half a dozen people in that apartment. All of them potentially armed. You jumped the gun and you know it.”

“You’re right! I do know it and I’m suffering the consequences of it.”

Nash shook his head. “You’re not suffering. You got of easy. If homicide hadn’t needed the extra hands, you and you partner would have been suspended.”

“You’re missing the point, son,” Nick chimed in when he saw that Cassidy was getting nowhere with him. “She learned her lesson,” he said with compassion for his granddaughter. “And I thank God she learned it without getting hurt. She understands why it was wrong and she isn’t going to do it again.”

Nash pursed his lips as he looked at his father. “She talked to you about it?”

Victoria looked in the drawer for a place mat, then leaned in to offer her opinion. “Face it Nash. You stepped over the line with this one.”

Nash looked over at his daughter. “You talked to Victoria about it?” he said with an accusatory tone.

“I needed someone to listen,” Cassidy answered defensively. “Not judge me Daddy.”

“Who’s judging you?”

“You are every time you talk to me like a rookie!” she flipped back.

“You are a rookie!”

“And that’s the end of round two,” Victoria said as she gave Nash a quelling look. “Ding, ding.”

Nash chuckled as he shook his head at Victoria’s imitation of him. She could defuse any situation with style. “You’re absolutely right,” he surrendered. “I’m staying out of it. No more shop talk. Let’s have a good old-fashioned family dinner.”

Cassidy was a little hesitant at the sudden change of attitude, but then she smiled. She knew that her dad was just worried about her, but she was tired of driving home the point that she wasn’t twelve anymore. A family dinner was just what they needed to set things on an even keel once more. “I’m starved. Is that one of your recipes Granddad?”

“It’s one of Stacy’s out of her new cookbook,” Nick confided with paternal pride.

“Oh yeah?” Nash said with some surprise. “When is that coming out?”

“In a few weeks,” Nick returned, then went on to fill everyone in on the details.

* * *

Harvey looked back towards the door leading to the parking lot, then at Rachel’s front door. He wasn’t sure what to expect on the other side and he was a little wary about knocking. He never did figure out what had gotten her so riled up at the SIU to begin with, but he sure knew when the cap finally blew. That tape Joe had put together as a joke was going to be Harvey’s undoing. He sighed as he looked at his watch. He was two minutes early and he debated about waiting those two minutes or simply facing the inevitable. He looked at his watch one more time, then resigned himself and knocked.

Rachel pulled the door open immediately and stood in the entrance with her hand on her hip. “I was wondering how long you were going to debate about knocking,” she said with a sly grin.

He closed his eyes at having been caught. “I thought I heard you moving on the other side, but I wasn’t sure.”

“I scared you that bad, huh?”

He started to be gracious and deny it, but the words came out in a rush of wind, then he nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, yeah.”

She laughed then. It felt so good just to see him again that she couldn’t feign anger. She simply reached out, grabbed his lapels and pulled him in close for an inviting kiss. Harvey didn’t waste any time warming up to her welcome. His hands slid up her back as she pushed the door closed behind him, pulling him further into the apartment.

The scent that lingered in the air was the only thing to distract him from the attention she was lavishing on him. His stomach growled at the wonderful aroma. “You fixed dinner?” he asked in surprise.

“Chicken’s the last thing on my mind at the moment,” she said breathlessly as her mouth trailed down his throat. She loosened his tie in one swift motion, then started to slip his jacket off of his shoulders.

“The infamous chicken cacciatore?”

Both of them froze, eyes locked with each others when Harvey’s cell phone started to ring. “Don’t answer it,” Rachel said without hesitation.

Harvey shrugged his jacket back onto his shoulders. The last thing that he wanted to do was answer the call, but he knew that he had to. He brought his cell phone up to his ear as he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “Leek.” She is so beautiful, he thought. Smoldering eyes. Pouty lips. Amazingly soft skin.

“Your buddy’s back,” Antwon said softly. He had been expecting some sort of reaction, but his words barely registered with Harvey. He was captivated by Rachel nipping at his thumb, then kissing his palm. “Are you there man?”

“Yeah, Twon.” Harvey snapped back to attention, but had to force himself to focus. “Can you see them?”

“There’s two in the SUV. They’re only half a block away from me.”

“Did they see you?” he asked, the spell that Rachel was weaving was completely lost then. Harvey walked over to the window in her living room and took a peek from behind the blinds.

“No. No way.”

“All right. I’ll be right there.” Harvey walked back over to Rachel and put his hands on her shoulders. “You have no idea how sorry I am, but I’ve got to go.”

Rachel sighed heavily. She knew that he would be staying if he possibly could. “I’ll put the chicken on warm.”

Harvey took her lips again in a lingering kiss. He slowly dipped her back, his hand sliding down her thigh as it enticingly rubbed up against his. He knew what awaited him in her arms and regretted having to leave her. He looked back into Rachel’s eyes. “Remember this position for later.”

She laughed, unsteady on her feet when he suddenly released her to hurry out the door. “How did I ever get so lucky?” she whispered.

* * *

Antwon crouched down directly behind the SUV. His approach had been so easy it was laughable. If these guys are pros, then they made a very amateur mistake. He watched Harvey coming up the alley, glancing at the dark vehicle, then Harvey shrugged in question. Antwon gestured that both of the men in the cab were talking. It was a simple matter of walking up to the windows.

“Hello boys,” Harvey said as he brought his gun up to the passenger’s head. He looked over at the driver who was holding very still with the barrel of Antwon’s gun in his ear. “You definitely do a better job driving than you do parking, bubba.” He started to reach for the door handle to pull the passenger out, then he stopped and looked back at the driver. “Tommy Slim?” he said, searching his own mind for the response. It took him mere seconds to put two and two together and he sighed heavily. It just got personal. “Tell me where I can find your boss, Tommy, and you can drive away.”

“He has offices,” Tommy answered hesitantly. “In the Towers.”

Harvey smiled at him. “What do you think about popping over to say hello?” he asked rhetorically.

“Unannounced?” Antwon countered as if in shock. “That simply wouldn’t be proper.”

“You’re absolutely right, Twon,” Harvey agreed. “Why don’t we get our old buddy Tommy Slim to invite us over.”

“Hey! Wait a minute,” Tommy interrupted. “You told me that you’d let me go.”

“No, I said I’d let you drive away,” Harvey corrected him. “And I will. Just not alone.”

* * *

“Hold it right there Bruce,” Antwon said with authority when the Asian man positioned himself to strike. Antwon stopped the action with the sight of his gun. “Bullet beats karate chop.”

Harvey dragged Tommy Slim into the room by his tie, then shoved him into a chair in the reception area. He signaled to Antwon to give him one minute, then walked right through the double doors and into the private office of Samuel Chon. Harvey put his hands on his hips as he locked eyes with Samuel. “You and me,” he said, gesturing between them. “We’re going to talk. Now.”

Samuel signaled to the other two men with him and they immediately left without question. “This wasn’t exactly how I expected to meet, Inspector Leek, but I suppose it will do,” he said, offering Harvey a seat with a smooth hand gesture. He wasn’t sure what irritated him more, the fact that Inspector Leek was there to confront him or just the fact that he was there at all.

“Thank you, no,” he said, his words polite, but his tone one of controlled anger. “I won’t be here that long.” He walked up to Samuel to keep his voice low. “Let me spell it out for you so that there won’t be any misunderstanding. The fact that I’m dating your mother gives you no right to put your blood hounds on me. What I do is my business. Not yours or anyone else. Is that clear?”

Samuel smiled even though his ire continued to build. It would be interesting to see the reaction he was sure to received. “But wouldn’t the fact that you’re dating Rachel make it her business as well?” he countered.

“Don’t play words with me son.”

“I’m not your son!” he barked, inflamed at the mere suggestion.

“Thank God for that,” Harvey shot back, then sighed heavily. He wasn’t there to debate Samuel’s genealogy. “I am doing my best to let Rachel make her own decisions concerning you,” he admitted. “But this sneaking into her house in the middle of the night and putting spooks to follow us around is going to stop. If you want to see her, then try picking up the phone and asking when she’s available. A public place would be good,” he suggested as if they were having a casual conversation. “Well lit and populated,” he stated with more force to let him know it wasn’t just a suggestion. “Now back off and leave your goon squad out of it or you’re going to have me in the middle of all your business. I’ve got the 411 on you my friend so I suggest that you don’t make an issue out of me dating your mom unless you want me as your worst nightmare. The only thing that will accomplish is hurting Rachel.”

Samuel pretended to think about that for a long moment. “I only have one question,” he said as he paused dramatically. “If dating Rachel is your business, then what about the other guy she is seeing?” Samuel baited. “Would that be his business or yours?”

Harvey chuckled at the thought. Did Samuel really think that he could get a rise out of him that easily? “I had no idea that you were using. I’ll have to make sure to update my files to include substance abuse.”

“It’s not exactly a smart move on Mom’s part,” he continued, choosing to ignore the sarcasm since he held the trump. “So I can understand why she’s keeping it quiet.” He was bursting to squash the inspector with the news, but he wanted to savor every minute as well. “Fooling around with the boss can be treacherous.”

“With Nash?” he said incredulously. “Now I know you’re stoned.” Harvey chuckled once more, but there was no conviction behind it. Instead, his gut was twisting in knots as Samuel fanned out the photographs sitting on his desk.

“Now correct me if I’m wrong,” Samuel said as he pointed down at the image of Rachel and Nash kissing passionately. “But isn’t that Nash Bridges?” he questioned. He picked up the photograph as if to examine it more closely, then held it up for Harvey. “Granted, his face is somewhat obscured in that shot, but....ah!” He grabbed up another picture of Nash and Rachel talking. “This one is better, well, depending on what content you’re more interested in. Rachel looks very intense in this one, don’t you think?”

Harvey’s breath had increased to accommodate his racing heart. His head shook in denial, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the incriminating photographs. He recognized the bar and the clothes that both were wearing that day. It had to have been some time that afternoon. Probably after Rachel had stormed out of the SIU with the video tape that Joe had made. What had happened? How had she gone from his bed into Nash’s arms in less than a day? “There has to be a reasonable explanation,” he said softly. His mind raced to recall if anyone had mentioned Rachel and Nash working undercover. “There has to be.”

* * *