Breaking the Rules - Chapter Eight

Eddie sat in silence when the Sergeant entered the office and closed the door – 'this can't be good', she thought, once he slammed a thick file onto the desk in front of her and let out a deep sigh before making direct eye contact.

"There has been a change in the investigation that you and Reagan were working on."

"Were, Sir?" Eddie questioned in confusion, sitting straight in the chair, preparing for what was to come.

"This is no longer a case that requires a couple – Reagan is off the case." Eddie appeared uncomfortable with the idea of Jamie being removed. "The wife of Mark Jacobs fled the country, and according to my sources, he has targeted you to replace her." He paused for a moment and then said, "The stakes are higher now, he is angry and bitter, and today was booked on assault and then released." It didn't take long for the change in Eddie's body language to be noticed. "You in, or do we start over with this investigation?"

"I'm in…." Eddie nodded, words trailing. "…and assuming I will have a back-up, who would that be?"

"Danny Regan."

The words sunk in as she slowly leaned back in the chair and looked at the Sergeant - she wasn't exactly sure how Jamie would take the news? Would he be angry over the fact that he got yanked from the assignment, especially since it was his brother Danny replacing him?

She was in no place to question the decision that was made.

All that could be done now is, make the best of the situation and prove her worth.

They spent the next several minutes working out the details, and then she was quickly excused.

Lost in thought after exiting the office and walking down the hall, Eddie almost rushed past Jamie without even realizing it. She was quickly thrown back into reality when he grabbed her forearm and pulled her back.

"Woah…" Jamie drew out in a breath. "You know, I saw the schedule for tomorrow – you're riding with Anderson for the next few days?"

Eddie could barely gather her thoughts as he turned her around. "I - haven't seen the schedule yet."

The two headed out the doors of the precinct, noticing most of their fellow officers probably hadn't returned from their day tour quite yet, judging by the small number of squad cars parked out front. As they walked in silence, it didn't take long for Jamie to notice how Eddie seemed to be a million miles away. "What's with you?"

This was not going to be an easy conversation.

Jamie had already been irritated with Danny over recent events of the case.

Now this?

Eddie slowed her pace once they crossed the street and stepped onto the sidewalk away from the precinct, the time in silence allowed for her to gather the jumbled thoughts before unloading some unsettling news. "I just came from meeting with Sarge…and, he told me I'll be on this undercover case solo going forward." They stopped and he was silent – in fact, he was almost emotionless to the news she just dropped into his lap. "Well, not completely alone. Danny's been pulled into it with me now."

"I know."

Here she was, dreading the conversation between the two of them, and now he was telling her that he already knew about it? Why didn't he warn her before she went in there – at least a heads up before she walked in, rather than allowing her to be blindsided?

"You know." The tone of her voice was laced with irritation.

Jamie nodded, waiting for a couple to pass by them before answering. "Yeah, about an hour ago."

Eddie stared in his general direction for the next several seconds, surprised.

Why didn't he seem phased by this?

Disappointed, and even a bit nervous about not working with him on this operation going forward, she folded her arms across the chest and watched him closely. Danny was his brother, so for her, that was at least a bit comforting. However, she wasn't quite sold on the way Jamie was taking this turn of events.

"Eddie—"

"I don't get you, Reagan – not at all," she interrupted.

The two of them had known the risks of this operation from day one, and it wasn't surprising to Jamie that it had taken a turn, especially over the way Mark Jacobs seemed to have eyes for Eddie and how his wife had picked up the signals very early on.

He remembered it all too well.

"What do you want me to say here, Eddie? It wasn't like I had a choice in this – I was forced out; I didn't get a say on this one." She was silent, and he wasn't sure why she was bothered by this case more than others. "Can we discuss this somewhere else, in let's say, an hour?"

Once she was out of sight, Jamie pulled out the cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

Eddie turned the doorknob to her apartment and entered, noticing the darkness. The day had ended unexpectedly when she was called in to discuss the undercover assignment, and then when she broke the news to her partner, he didn't seem to have any reaction to the fact that he'd been pulled from the case that they started together.

Her phone vibrated, and without glancing at the number, she held it up and answered it.

"Hello?" She repeated a few times.

"This is Mark Jacobs."

Eddie's eyes widened, not overly surprised to hear from him; however, at the same time, knowing that the story of the assignment was about to change, and she'd be putting herself into his personal space more than ever before.

Her and Jamie would no longer be portraying a couple.

"You free to meet me for drinks tomorrow night at my apartment in Manhattan?" Mark then continued, not allowing her to get a word in after the introduction. "I can send a car to pick you at your place around 7:00."

She certainly didn't want him to know where she lived. "Can we meet at someplace local first?"

Jamie found Danny waiting at the bar when he entered through the doors.

"Two Pints," Danny called out to the bartender as Jamie took a seat next to him. "I take it this is about your partners undercover case." The bartender placed the beer in front of them, and then they took a quick sip before starting the discussion around the case.

"Look Danny, I don't want to see her get hurt in this."

Danny nodded and said, "Eddie was brought into this case for a reason, and this Mark Jacobs seems to have taken to her in a way that can only help the investigation. You know that as well as I do. And, we need to let her play this out – do what she's trained to do. I'll be there for back-up, if she needs it."

A part of Jamie wasn't sure how to react – to him, this wasn't just about a case.

He didn't just want her to be all right, he needed her to be.

Jamie dropped eye contact from Danny and took a gulp of the beer and drowned out his thoughts for a moment. "I trust Eddie – she's tough as nails, can hold her own against any cop I know. I just don't like that she's going into this alone, leaving her exposed to this creep."

"Is there something you're not telling me here, kid?"

Shifting in the bar stool, Jamie tried to avoid the question. "No…" he trailed in nervous laughter, responding. "I just want to know that you're going to do everything you can to protect her. Danny, this guy…" Jamie shook his head, recalling how aggressive Mark Jacobs has been with Eddie since the start. "…he wants Eddie, and from what I've seen, I don't really think he cares if she feels the same way or not."

Danny understood loud and clear.

The message was clear between them – protect Eddie at all costs.

More than two hours had gone by and Eddie hadn't even received a simple phone call from Jamie, which told her that he probably wasn't going to be stopping by that night and she certainly wasn't about to try to seek him out at his place.

On her way to the bedroom, Eddie touched the light switch and flicked it downward, and just like that the room was a bit darker again – only the street lights coming through the window gave any visibility to light. However, just as she turned, there was a knock at the door.

Here she was, in a t-shirt and yoga pants, with her hair still up in a loose bun from earlier in the day.

Hitting the switch upward again, the lights turned on and she made her way to the door.

Just as she unlocked the dead bolt and turned the knob, there was Jamie standing on the other side, apologizing for being late and explaining on his way inside that he had met Danny at the bar and they lost track of time.

Eddie shut the door, locking it once again.

It was then that Jamie noticed she looked as though she was about to turn in for the night. Had he really been that late? "I guess I should have called before coming over, I just thought we were going to still meet up tonight."

"We were – hours ago."

Was she angry with him for not calling?

Was this about the case?

Eddie walked past him and into the kitchen, standing on the other side of the counter and making direct eye contact with him as he kept a good bit of distance. "I left the precinct wondering why this seemed to be bothering me and it didn't appear to phase you? And now, you're telling me you spent that time discussing those feelings with Danny."

Jamie shoved both hands in the front pocket and shrugged his shoulders.

"I did go to Danny to talk about the case," Jamie removed his hands from the pockets, and then moved into the kitchen to where she stood. "I wanted him to understand why this wasn't just about a case." He let out slight breath. "But, he reminded me that I need to allow you to do your job."

"So, this does bother you?"

"Eddie – Of course, yes, it bothers me!" He exclaimed, almost surprised she would even have to ask. "It bothers me on a personal level – professionally, I know cops get pulled into cases away from their partners all the time, and I respect that. It's just…. that's not all this is between us."

Finally.

She stepped into him until their lips crashed onto one another and could feel his hands on her hips, pulling them even closer in proximity. This was all she needed to hear him say – it bothered him because of the personal feelings he felt toward her.

Their lips slowly parted, and Eddie felt his forehead against hers.

Whatever was going on between them was beginning to become more and more complicated, mostly because they continued to feel the struggle around staying together as partners to wanting to be find out what they have been missing out on personally.

When Jamie's hands dropped from her waist, she turned and walked into the living room, keeping her eyes on Jamie while he followed from behind and then sat down on the arm of the sofa. He might not be involved with her on the case any longer, but that didn't mean she should keep anything from him on it, either.

"He called me tonight."

Jamie glanced over at her. "Mark?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he wants me to have drinks at his place tomorrow night."

The mood between them was more than broken at the mere mention of this guy and her in the same sentence. "He's certainly not wasting any time making his move, is he?" Jamie's words were laced with jealousy and worry at the same time. "What did you tell him?"

"I agreed, but I asked for us to meet in local spot first."

He nodded, liking her suggestion. However, he knew she'd eventually be going back to Mark's place.

Eddie finally noticed Jamie's disgust when it came to this guy – he was reserved, so this wasn't always visible to the surface, which was why she felt disconnected from him earlier. He held back from revealing how he felt. "Jamie, I can handle this guy…" she expressed, moving toward him and stopping right before him. "…I'll signal for help before it has a chance to get out of control."

Jamie's hands wrapped around her waist and he pulled her close.

"You better—"

She smiled and leaned in until she felt the warmth of his lips on hers, and the grip around her waist, which led to her wrapping her own arms around him as their kiss deepened. They didn't want to say it, but in a way, they knew that what was occurring was more than just caring about another person, this was their future at some point down the line.

Jamie wanted to protect it, whether he put those pieces together or not, it was there.

Deep down, Eddie knew as well.

She placed another soft kiss on his lips, and then he looked up at her and pressed his lips together, holding the taste just a moment longer. The fact that they were keeping their involvement a secret from the precinct, his family, and anyone else they encountered that had ties to the police department was something he wasn't sure he could keep up much longer, especially when these feelings seemed to get stronger.

What if something happened to her on this case – something real?

Could he sit back and wait and it out?

And what if Mark Jacobs caused her harm – would he forgive his brother for letting it happen?

Even himself?

These were questions he didn't have the answers – all he knew was, she was beginning to be important in his life, and he wasn't sure what that all meant.

...