Don't Look Like a Seal Pt. 02

"Got it," I told him as I tugged on a shirt. "I'm going to head out before my shift starts. If you need me, I'm sure that you've got my cell already."

"You know it, boss," He chuckled. "See you when you get back."

I walked downstairs and found that I had another visitor. Karly was seated on the very same treadmill as yesterday apparently waiting for me.

"Is everything okay, Karly?" I asked as I approached.

"I thought I was Red?" She asked.

"You are," I said. "Unless it seems like something's bothering you and you appear to be bothered so what's up?"

"You don't think my friend is dumb right?" She asked.

"Well, he does call himself Slice," I answered.

"Not him. I know he's dumb. Duh. I mean my friend Michelle. Well, my sister's friend but..." She paused. "Just answer the question, Kenny."

"Michelle? No, I don't think she's dumb. The furthest thing from in fact," I answered. "Why would I think she's dumb?"

"The seal thing," She stated.

"I thought that was pretty funny. Don't look like a seal," I said with a chuckle.

"So you weren't offended or anything by it?" She asked.

"She didn't know I was on the team with Scott. We were just making small talk," I told her. "Why does it matter?"

"Like I said, she's my friend... well technically she's my sister's friend but the way she's always looked out for me, I feel like she's more my sister than my actual sister sometimes. I know I sound like a goof right now and I came to argue that Michelle's not one, guess I'm not doing so hot huh?" She asked.

"You're doing fine, Red," I assured her. "I don't think either of you are dumb or goofy. I think you both are very sweet people."

"That's good but keep that between us, all right? I've got a reputation to uphold," She grinned.

"I'll take that secret to my grave," I smiled. "What else do I need to know?"

"Only that Michelle will apologize to you at some point for this morning," She answered.

"She doesn't have to do that," I said.

"I know she doesn't, you know she doesn't but she will. That's the kind of person she is. She's special that way," She told me.

Her emphasis on the word special didn't go unnoticed.

"I could tell that by our brief conversation this morning. She's very quick-witted too, I liked that," I told her.

"So do you think you and she could... ya know... become a thing?" She inquired.

"I figure anyone that's as beautiful as she is already has a steady guy in her life," I said without thinking.

I regretted it as soon as it left my mouth because I could see a twinkle light up Karly's eyes.

"You are not allowed to repeat that," I warned her quickly.

She smiled a devilish smile and nodded her head.

"Okay, I won't repeat that," she said.

"I'm serious, Karly," I told her.

"Sir, Yes, Sir," She said and gave me a mock salute.

"Your salute needs work, Red," I said as I shook my head.

"Better than the one finger salute," She pointed out.

"I suppose I have to agree with you there. I'll be back soon Red," I told her as I started toward the door before my mouth could spew out any more incriminating information.

"She's not seeing anyone you know," Karly carried on as she walked out with me.

"You gonna walk me all the way to my car?" I asked.

"Maybe," She answered. "I mean you seem to want to know about Michelle's dating status."

"I didn't say that," I said.

"Sure you did. Someone as beautiful as she is already has a steady guy in her life," She said while she mimicked my deeper voice.

"Do I really sound like that?" I asked.

"No changing the subject," She said. "Michelle had been dating this guy. I think his name was Ryan but he was kind of a jerk. Anyway, he cheated on her, she caught him so that's over and done with. That was about... wow... nine months ago. She's probably pretty lonely about now."

"Karly, I'm not sure that's information she wants you to just go around telling people," I said.

"I'm just telling you, Kenny," She stated. "She deserves someone who will treat her right."

"And for some reason, you think that I'm the guy that will do that? You don't even know me," I said.

"I know enough for now," She smirked. "You're definitely leading the pack so far."

"Thanks, I think," I said as I noticed the teasing smile on her face.

We reached the driveway and stopped at my car.

"Did I mention that I like your ride?" She asked as she looked over my black Mustang.

"Not yet," I answered. "I'll take you for a ride sometime."

"Ride hell, I want to drive!" She giggled.

"We'll see, Red," I chuckled as I climbed inside.

I shut the door and rolled down the automatic window. Karly stuck her head inside, looked around quickly and took a sniff.

"You aren't a smoker so that's a plus," She said as she crouched down to continue chatting.

"Not a smoker," I answered.

"Makes you pretty kissable then. Michelle will be pleased," She giggled.

"Seriously?" I asked as I cranked the engine.

"She's into healthy kind of guys, Kenny," She giggled. "Be safe out there, okay?"

"I'll do my best," I sighed.

I headed to the hospital to check on Scott's condition. Despite my dislike for the places, Scott was my friend and I owed him. The flashing lights of police cars greeted me as I pulled into the parking deck but I didn't think too much of it until I got to the hallway that led to the ICU and there were uniformed officers standing guard.

"ID please?" One of the officers asked me.

"He's all right," A familiar voice called out from behind me.

I turned and saw Det. Young who was walking up to me.

"What happened here? Are Scott and everyone all right?" I asked hurriedly.

"We're not entirely sure what happened but everyone's fine more or less," She answered. "Walk with me."

I nodded and fell in step with her. She led me by the officers that were guarding the hallway then into a side hallway before we reached the waiting room.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The emergency room," she said.

"Why are we going there? I thought everyone was all right," I said.

"I said more or less," She answered. "As former SEAL's you guys must have made a few enemies am I right?"

"More than a few," I answered. "Do you want a list because it would probably fill up a notebook."

"That's not necessary. I went and tried to read your files when I got this case and all the black lines started giving me a headache," She stated.

"That's not surprising," I stated. "Did you get a call from the DOD or CIA yet?"

"From the DOD just this morning in fact, how did you know?" She asked.

"A lot of our missions are still classified. Hell, we'll all probably be ten years gone before some of them see the light of day despite the freedom of information act." I said. "You go poking around them, red flags start popping up and people start making phone calls."

"I got an earful that's for sure," she said. "I know that you can't give me any mission specifics but would say a drug cartel could be after you guys?"

"Cartels, terrorist cells, a few would be dictators," I listed off. "Lots of people hold grudges against us, professionally and personally."

"Is there anyone, in particular, come to mind when it comes to Mr. Brannock?" She asked.

"We did our best to remain anonymous but things happen in the field that you don't expect," I shared.

"Anything happen that Mr. Brannock didn't expect?" She inquired.

I took a beat to think up who would most likely be after Scottie.

"There was this one guy, Columbian drug lord, Hector Chavez," I answered. "He would love to see Scottie in the ground but this isn't his work."

"How can you tell?" Young asked.

"The distinct lack of bodies and bullet holes for one thing," I answered and shook my head. "Hector is a hot head and doesn't concern himself with collateral damage. If he'd tried to off Scott he would have rolled in here with fully automatic weapons and fired more shots than it took to win the Civil War."

"This wasn't Chavez," A voice stated from very close behind us.

Det. Young and I both turned and saw a man in a dark suit and sunglasses. I recognized him and gave him a smile.

"Jesus, Henry. How do you keep those old bones of yours from creaking while you sneak up on people?" I asked.

He took off his shades, slipped them into his pocket and returned my smile.

"When you get my age you'll rattle like a tin can with all the crap you put yourself through, Grayson," He replied.

"You talk like I don't do that now," I chuckled. "You know the whole black suit and man with no eyes shades are out of fashion now."

"True but it's good for spooking the locals," Henry stated. "No offense detective."

"None taken," Det. Young said. "Who are you?"

"Henry will do fine I think," He answered.

"Henry is CIA and his real name probably isn't even close to that but that's what you get when you deal with them, Detective," I explained.

"Nature of the beast I'm afraid. Shall we?" He asked and opened a door we were passing.

The room was empty of course and I shook my head as I entered. Det. Young followed me in with an incredulous look on her face.

"How'd you know this place would be empty?" She asked him.

Henry looked at me with a look that conveyed that he was annoyed at the question so I answered for him.

"From the moment you tried looking up our records he could tell you what kind of creams you use on your face and which position you like to sleep in," I told her. "Knowing what room in this place would be empty would be child's play for Mr. Spooky here."

"Don't start that crap with me again, kid," Henry said. "It didn't work out well for you if you remember correctly."

"I remember you missing," I shrugged.

"If the wind hadn't have shifted I'd be talking with Kortesis right now instead of you," He pointed out.

"You should be thankful," I chuckled.

"I am at times," He grinned.

"Do I even want to know what you two are talking about?" Det. Young asked.

"Probably not," I answered.

"It sounds like the less I know the better off I'll be," she said then changed the subject. "You say that this wasn't this Chavez person?"

"Grayson was right about there not being enough bullet holes and bodies for this is to be done by Chavez," Henry told her.

"Doesn't mean he couldn't hire a professional," she suggested.

"Hector was an eye for an eye kind of guy and he would have wanted a shot at Scottie for himself," I said. "We barely left him enough money for a bus ticket so I doubt he's rebuilt funds enough to hire a hitter."

"He hasn't. Chavez isn't your problem," Henry stated.

"Want to toss out a name that could be involved?" I asked him.

"All I can tell you is that it's no one that your team had dealings with in the past," He told us.

"That doesn't narrow down your suspect list very much, Detective," I said to her.

"Not really," She answered me. "Would you be willing to help out with this investigation, Henry?"

She turned toward where he was previously standing but Henry was no longer there. The door was just closing when she looked back at me.

"Seriously?" Det. Young asked me as she grabbed the door and yanked it open.

We both stepped back into the hallway but Henry was nowhere in sight. Det. Young had this strange look on her face and I just shook my head.

"How in the hell did he do that?" She asked me.

"He has a knack for this sort of thing," I answered.

"Not being helpful or his little vanishing act?" She complained.

"A little of column A, a little of column B," I answered. "Him showing up at all was enough though."

"Meaning?" She queried.

"Meaning we've been warned off of snooping around our past missions," I told her.

"Just on the say so of that guy?" She asked as we started our walk back to the emergency room. "If that was a threat he wasn't very clear about it."

"The message was more for me than you," I shared. "Henry's a good enough guy most of the time but there are other times..."

"When he shoots you," She finished.

"Shoots at but he did miss," I confirmed.

"Nice friends you have, Ken," She commented.

"My friends are fine. It's my former colleagues that you have to watch out for," I corrected her. "Of course Henry could have been lying about everything he just told us. It's happened before."

"Well, that's just great. We don't know anything more than we did before Mr. Man in Black popped in," She muttered.

"We know that the CIA are now paying close attention so we shouldn't snoop around any of our old missions unless you want to get black bagged by them," I stated.

"Is that where they roll up in a van, throw a bag over my head and I wake up in some kind of off the book site way underground?" She asked.

"They're not all underground," I pointed out.

"Out of all your teammates, I get stuck with the one who thinks he's funny," She sighed.

"People have laughed before," I said.

"Sure they have," She stated.

We walked along a little further before she spoke again.

"What if they were trying to take Ms. Joiner and not Ms. Voss? Leverage her to get Scott to call in you guys and take you all out at one time?" She asked.

"You're thinking outside the box, that's for sure but come on. I mean if they want Scott to get us together why try to shoot him dead in the street? And why involve one of the richest families on the eastern seaboard if Ms. Joiner is your target all along?" I asked. "They could have snatched her at any time but they wait until the day she's picking up Addison Voss. I'm not buying it. Besides, we would have been a lot easier to kill individually."

"I just like to have my bases covered is all," She told me. "Someone did try to finish off your friend today so the thought occurred to me that we could be looking at this all wrong."

"Wait a second. You said that everyone was all right," I stopped her.

"I said more or less," She answered. "Scott is fine. Better than fine from what I've heard. We are going to see your other friend. Mr. Vincent."

"T. J.?" I asked.

"Yes," She said then nodded toward a nearby door. "He's in here."

I step past her and pull the door open without preamble. Inside it, T. J. is shirtless and seated on a bed while a nurse was looking over his hand. She jumped back when she heard me enter.

"Guess I can't leave you alone for a minute huh?" I asked.

"This one is not my fault, Ken," He stated then winked at the nurse who looked embarrassed as she turned to leave.

"Not your fault huh?" I asked him as I looked down at his wrapped up hand.

"It looks worse than it is," He told me as he held up his left hand.

"You were sliced pretty good with that scalpel, Mr. Vincent," Det. Young said.

"Ken, can you make her stop that? I'm having enough problems today as it is," He sighed.

"Please call him T. J.," I told her. "Or Mr. V."

"Don't you start in, Ken," T. J. warned me. "Injured man here and all that."

"I thought that it wasn't so bad?" I teased him.

"It was a lot worse with the nurse in here," He chuckled.

I turned to Det. Young and nodded toward T. J.

"You were saying about getting stuck with the funny one?" I asked her.

"I stand by it," She answered.

"So what all happened this morning and someone please start at the beginning?" I asked them.

"Yes sir," T.J nodded. "I had noticed this guy earlier. He didn't stand out but he was by himself and I never noticed a doctor or anybody talking to him. I thought that was kind of strange so I kept my eye on him. Well after Michelle left, you've met Michelle right?"

I nodded and tried not to smile but failed.

"Should have known that you would have. She is blonde after all," He laughed.

"Moving on, T. J.," I told him.

He smiled at Detective Young who also happened to be a blonde. She smiles and glanced at me as she tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Right, so Lissa comes back and tells us that Michelle's suggestion seemed to be working on Scott. The doctors wanted to run some tests so she came back out to sit with us. That's when I noticed this other guy had come into the waiting area and my gut told me that something wasn't right. The guy was putting off some bad vibes or something so when he followed this other family when they were buzzed in I knew something was wrong. I hung back and then got one of the nurses I know here to slip me in with her. The guy was almost to Scott's room when I caught up with him. Dude was fast, Ken, I mean really fast. I was about to ask him who he was when he spun around on me and sliced my hand open with a scalpel. He didn't say one word. He just swung. Nearly tagged me a second time but I managed to dodge it and clock him in the face with one of those tray things they've got lying around back there. He took off after that and I tried to give chase but he just straight up vanished."

"Trained or lucky," I asked.

"Trained," T. J. answered after a second. "I didn't really take the time to study his technique or anything but the only person I've ever seen with luck like that, if it was luck, is you. One thing is for sure, he knew how to get out of here awful quick. I couldn't have been more than twenty yards behind him but he turned two corners and vanished."

"There's an exit door in that area," Det. Young stated. "It leads out to the loading dock so we figure that he had a car there waiting."

"I could have had him, Ken," T. J. complained. "Damn it, I had my hands on the guy and he got away."

"Got your hand almost cut off," I pointed out.

"I've scratched myself worse when I shave," He grumbled. "I just wish I nabbed the son of a bitch."

"Don't worry about it, T. J.," I told him. "You probably saved Scott's life and that's what's important. Besides, they couldn't have you bleeding all over the ICU I'm sure."

"Guess I'm getting slow in my old age," He chuckled.

"Well you never were very fast to begin with," I told him. "Too many muscles slowing you down."

"You know that's because the ladies love this right, Detective?" He chuckled.

"Let's just say that I know who to call whenever I can't get a jar open," She smiled at him.

"Yeah don't call Ken here, he'll either shoot the thing or it will explode in his face," T. J. laughed.

"Was explosives your expertise, Ken?" Det. Young asked.

"Ken is a jack of all trades but he sure can wreak shi... stuff," T. J. shared.

"Don't you need a shot or something?" I asked.

"Man, I'm up to date on all that," He told us.

A knock sounded at the door and the nurse from earlier poked her head back into the room.

"Mr. Vincent," She said. "I need to stitch you up now."

She stepped toward him and Det. Young gave my shirt sleeve a tug.

"I think that's our cue," Det. Young said. "Try and get some rest, Mr. Vincent... I mean, T. J."

"Thanks, Detective," He nodded at her.

"I'll check back in on you in a little while, T. J.," I told him.

"I'll be back in the waiting room of the ICU whenever you're done. You'll find me there," He told me.

****

As we were walking back to the ICU, Det. Young commented on me not bringing up Henry's visit.

"I notice you didn't tell him about our visitor," She told me.

"T. J. and Henry never did see eye to eye on most things. I didn't see any reason to mention his little appearance. It's not like Henry told us anything worthwhile anyway."

"Just a warning," She sighed. "None of you guys are like I imagined."

"We're not huh?" I laughed. "Let me guess. You were expecting a group of alpha male assholes."

"Was I that obvious?" She asked.

"You weren't but it's something that happens whenever people find out who we are," I answered. "We had our moments to be sure but after a while things change you. I'm sure you changed after your first ugly crime scene."

"I did," She nodded. "It made me realize that Death is always just waiting for us all. You can either learn to live with that or you can try to ignore it but sooner or later, he comes for us all."