Finding Grace

Chapter Five

"Heeeeey boss." Jess cheered sitting on his desk.

"Detective Sanders." He said with a smile. "Everything ok?"

She nodded. "Just wondering if I could get a few days off next month?" He smiled and looked up at her.

"How much?"

"Just a week. I have some important private business to attend to." She said. "I might be back before then. I might never come back."

He pulled his glasses off his face. "Miss Sanders," she smiled sweetly at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure yet." She said. "I just need the time off."

"Fine." He said. "I'll see what I can do. Now get back to work."

"Don't I always." She said standing and walking away.

"Jeeeeess." Eddy said walking over to her.

"Eddddddddy." Jess said sitting down.

"I have a story for you." He said. "It's about your Elly Jones." She sat up. "She wasn't Elly Jones. According to get DNA she was some chick. Human but not on our records. No DNA match."

"Weird." She said standing up. "And the other two?"

"Really themselves." She nodded slowly.

"Listen I have a lunch date with one of my girlfriends, so I'll be back later." She told him. "We're not done with this."

Jess rushed out and over to D'Angelo's job. She walked past serurity and grabbed him by his tie. "Come with me."

"Ok." He said following her. Once they were alone he smiled at her. "You found out?"

"You killed two innocent people." She growled.

"I couldn't just kill her. I had to cover."

"No I have to cover." She growled. "They can't track you right?"

"Of course not." He said. "Calm down. I did it to protect Rome. They were getting too close."

"Yeah and now she turns up dead. They definitely won't know we're here. We're not moving again."

"We don't have to."

"Yeah, this better not backfire." She told him walking away.

"Love you." She ignored him and went back to the station.

"Back so soon?"

"She cancelled." Jess said angrily. "And I was looking forward to that."

"Awe. So you didn't get anything to eat cause we're ordering now if you wanna add something last minute."

"From where?"

"Red Robins." She nodded and gave him her order before passing him ten dollars.

"Thank you."

"No problem." He said walking away. She took a deep breathe and pulled out her phone.

"Hello?"

"Jessica. You miss me?" She gasped and lowered her voice covering her mouth.

"How did you get my number?"

"I've always had it, just never used it. Just thought I'd check in from your perspective this time." He said.

"We're fine." She said sternly.

"Are you and D'Angelo the Romeo and Juliet I set you up to be?"

"We're partners." She told him after a short pause.

"And a lot more. I see the way you two look at each other and how he talks about you. You wouldn't want to lose a good man like that would you?" She sighed thinking about the impact D'Angelo has had on her life.

"No." She told him. "I wouldn't."

"Then we're on the same page." He said. "Stay out of my way until I need you."

Jess hung up and slammed her phone down sighing. I knew I shouldn't have fell for him. I shouldn't have even agreed to this. Rome is going to be so pissed.

"Jess you ok?" She looked up and Eddy had returned. She snapped back and smiled.

"Yeah. Just a lot of things on my mind."

"If you need to talk I'm here for you." He said patting her back.

"Thanks, but I'm ok. It's something I have to talk to D'Angelo about." She told him. "I'll take you up on that offer eventually though."

"I'll be here." He assured her sitting across at his desk.

Jess slowly made it through the rest of her day and headed home. She rolled my eyes when she arrived and went inside angrily. "Making house visits now?"

"Don't worry the kids aren't around."

"They will be soon." She said.

"Jess calm down." D'Angelo said.

"Listen to him."

"Smiles what do you want?" She asked.

"I need to know what you're planning with out my permission?" Jess glared over at D'Angelo and he put his hands up.

"Jess I couldn't let you do it." He said.

"Now I'm going to say this once and I hope you get it." He said slowly hovering over her. "The childs head rest on my mantle would you like to see it?"

She thought of the image and shook her head. "No, but he found his birth certificate and he's smart. He'll figure it out eventually. Look, just let me go. By myself. I won't tell them anything. Just let me get inside."

He stood there for a moment. "I'll call you tomorrow for more detail." She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. "Now, continue like I was never here." He said leaving. She frowned at D'Angelo and ran upstairs.

"Babe, I'm sorry." He said following me.

Jess locked the door and sat on the bed. "Don't 'babe, I'm sorry' me."

"I can't lie to him. He has my word." He said. "You knew this when you told me."

"I thought I could trust you. I thought you loved me, but I guess you're not ready for that." She yelled.

"Jess I swear-"

"No, this is the fourth time this has happened." She said. "Leave."

"It's not my fault." He whined dramatically, punching the door and walking away. He can be such a crybaby. I knew I should've just kept it to myself.

She took a shower and walked back out. D'Angelo wasn't too far and grabbed her from behind hugging her tightly. "Next time it's better to just keep it a secret from me."

"D'Angelo baby, I wanna be able to tell you things though." She said cupping the side of his face.

"It's best if you don't. I really love you and I wanna protect you, but when you tell me stuff like that I have to tell Smiles. I'm loyal to him first." She sighed closing her eyes and leaning against him.

"I'm not mad, it's probably best he does know. I'd hate to risk exposing Rome." Jess said walking past him.