Switchblade

Chapter 78: Emergency

Tati blinked awake and like usual she felt she laid on top of someone breathing softly.
She looked at him.
His head turned and he opened his eyes to look at her once he felt her move.
"You've been awake this entire time?" she asked.
"For a few hours."
"Hours? What time is it?"
"11."
"It's 11 in the morning?"
"Yea."
"And you've just been laying here for all that time?"
"I went to the gym for two hours then came home, showered, and got back in bed." he explained.
Tati smiled. "Getting clingy, aren't you?"
"I just knew you'd start crying if you saw I wasn't here when you woke up." He stretched.
"Fucking liar. You know you wanted to lay with me."
"I never said that."
She rolled her eyes then sat up to leave the bed.
Killian pulled her back in and Tati laughed.

~•~

"AND NONE OF YOU CAN FUCKING FIND HIM?!" Segal shouted.

They all stood there in a line side by side as Segal gave them an earful.

He stood in front of the first man.
And swung a strong slap at his face.
"You sons of bitches..."
He walked to the next man and swung another slap.
"Can't do shit..."
He went to the next and slapped again.
"I tell you to do."
Then the next. Slap.
"So then why..."
The next. Slap.
"Am I wasting my money..."
The next. Slap.
"PAYING A BUNCH OF IDIOTS TO DO A JOB THEY AREN'T FUCKING CAPABLE OF??" He smacked the last man and they all stood there with an aching face after taking the abuse.

"Get out of my face before I shoot all of you." he threatened.
The men turned and walked off.

"I'll handle it myself."

He walked into his office to think of his next plan of action.

He picked up the phone to dial.

The device rang for a minute.
"Answer the phone you piece of shit." he grunted and took out his cigar case from his desk drawer.

"Hello?" Stone answered nervously.
"I've got a plan. And you're gonna follow directions."

•

"Why can't you keep your hands to yourself?" Tati asked while she fixed breakfast. Killian's hands remained on her waist.
"Why would I?"
"I'd expect you to think you've touched me enough."
"Not at all." He kissed the base of her neck and she twitched.
He chuckled. "Forgot you were ticklish."
He kissed the area again.
"Stop it!" Tati laughed and pushed him off. "I'm almost done, go away."
Killian rolled his eyes and walked off to grab a bottle of water.

She turned off the stove and began to fix plates.

"Does your mother know where you are?" Killian asked.
"I told her I was fine. She knows I wasn't home last night."
"Mm."
Tati turned and handed Killian his plate.

"How do you do that?" he asked.
"Do what?"
"You role your omelets instead of just folding it."
"Takes practice."
"Hm."
"I wish I could've made cinnamon rolls. That was what I was craving."
"Why didn't you?" He walked to the table and she turned to fix her own plate.
"Because you don't have all of the ingredients I need. Like icing sugar and you're low on cinnamon."
"You've made me have to go to the grocery store too often for that to be true."
"I cooked you three full meals a day and dessert every other day. Obviously you'd run out of ingredients pretty fast."
He didn't respond and just took a bite of his food. Tati grabbed her plate and started walking towards the table to sit across from him.

She went back to fix a glass of orange juice. When she returned, she began to dig in.

"Killian..." Tati called.
"Tati..." he replied and ate another bite of his food.
"What is this?"
He looked at her. "It's an omelet."
"No." She rolled her eyes. "I meant what's...the relationship between us?"
"What do you want it to be?" he asked and ate another bite of his omelet.
"I don't know."
He looked at her while she poked at her food with her fork.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked.
She looked at him with wide eyes. He looked back as he sipped his water.
"No...I was just wondering if there was a title for it or something..."
"Right."
She ate another bite of her omelet.
"Well if you change your mind, you have my number." He got up to clean his plate.

Tati just stared forward.

She looked over at his back while it faced her and he washed his dish.

~•~

While they sat in Killian's room because Tati decided to watch a movie, he received a phone call.

"Yea?" he answered. His hand rubbed and squeezed Tati's thigh while the movie played.
"Got a message from Stone. Segal told him to tell Cermak to tell you to meet Stone at 913 Port Avenue. At 11:30 tonight." said Kanan. "I'll send you the address again for good measure."
Killian listened while his eyes stared at the tv screen.
"But I got a feeling Stone isn't who you're meeting with."
"Plan's in action." Killian stated.
"You're going?"
"Yea."
"Sir...I don't mean any disrespect but-..."
"Then shut up."
Kanan kept quiet.
"Have our officers there by 11:45," Killian stated.

Tati's ears tuned into the phone call.

"Some shit's gonna happen but this is the best time to get him dealt with. I want them outside and waiting. One car approaches at a time to not make too much noise and you tell them keep the sirens off."
"Yes, sir."
"You bring an ambulance too."
"You want him to be healed?"
Killian didn't answer the question. "11:45. No later."
"Yes, sir."
"I got this planned out properly in my head. So if it don't work, I'm gonna know it was you that fucked it up because I don't make mistakes."
"Yes, sir."
"That means don't fuck it up."
"Yes, sir."
Killian hung up.

Tati wondered what was happening.

She felt Killian get out of the bed.
"Where are you going?" she wondered.
"To pee. You know, for a not girlfriend, you're very clingy." He teased with a softer voice than before as he entered the bathroom.
She rolled her eyes as he shut the door.

A phone vibrated and Tati looked.

It was Killian's.

A message from Kanan. She read the address.
Then grabbed her phone and began typing into her notes app. For some reason she had goosebumps.
11:45 he said.
An ambulance? Cops? What was happening?
She wouldn't get out.
She'd just ride past the building is all. She had no intention of being caught. She just wanted to know what was going on and why he needed 911.
The anxiety she felt was the reason she told Killian she didn't want to be his girlfriend.

That and she was just embarrassed to admit that she did.

But the idea of him killing someone while they were together and her having to deal with it was too much. And if that was what was going to happen tonight, then she'd leave. For good.

The bathroom door opened and Tati looked at Killian.

"What?" he asked.
"Nothing. You opened the door fast. It scared me."
"I'm starting to think you're just a jumpy person."
"No, you just maneuver like a crazy person."
"Maybe." He walked back to the bed and got in. Tati faced the tv.