Chapter 9
Rated "M"
IX - Invitation
The Captain merely nodded at my statement before he picked up the phone and dialed a number I couldn't see from my position."Hello, I'd like to speak to the director." There was a pause as I heard a woman on the phone speak. "Tell him it's Captain Shelton calling about his agent. He'll know exactly what I mean?"
What the hell was going on? Agent? He was talking about Roxanne? What was wrong with her? She was at the precinct, she didn't do anything wrong. Did he not think we needed her services any longer?
"Sir. Pleasure talking to you as always." I heard a low male voice over the phone, but it was muffled, so I couldn't understand. "No. But there is one thing that I'd like to ask of you." I swallowed. What was going on? "I'd like to keep Special Agent Roxanne Winston here longer. How long can we keep her?"
"That's how my brother got kicked out of the club. As you probably can already tell, I'm the good child of the family. Yep, me." That was all I heard from Zak's story as he sat on the edge of Roxanne's desk and watched her type up what looked like to be a report.
"What are you two talking about?" I asked, walking over to sit at my own desk. I stared across at Roxanne who did nothing but continue typing, then to Zak who just shrugged at me.
"We are not talking about anything. Mr. Hall is talking about family, and how you and his brother need to find wives before you get killed in the force." Roxanne said, her fingers flying on the keyboard. I glared at Zak.
"Hey! I didn't say that! The girl did!"
"'Girl' refers to a female child, a young daughter, or a relatively young woman. Twenty-five is not young. In fact, in some cultures it's considered to be mid-life, meaning that the regular death age would be around fifty. With proper dieting, society can raise that age to over a hundred if they really wanted to, but if any one in this country gave a damn about proper dieting, hell would freeze over and half of the country's who hate us would love us."
Zak and I just stared at her in awe and she rose a brow when she looked at us.
"Seriously?"
"Wow. And you chose the FBI over the White House? That's impressive." I said. She glared at me.
"Since, uh, that note thing has been cleared up, how about you two join the rest of the precinct tonight? We're going to a bar at tenth and forty-fifth street."
"Sure," I said, noting that Roxanne was neither going to say anything, nor was she going to join the rest of the guys in the place at a bar. "What the hell, right? It's not like I've go anything better to do."
"Cool." Zak stated, a smile on his face, that was until he looked at Roxanne, who was diligently working per usual. "What about you, Roxanne?" She blinked and shook her head a little when hearing her name.
"What?" She asked, obviously confused as she hadn't been paying any attention to our later conversation.
"We're all going to a bar tonight and you're invited..." He said awkwardly. He was totally in love with Roxanne, and I had yet to come to the conclusion of if she knew or not.
"A bar?" She asked. Zak nodded. "With every man in this room?" Another nod. "With real alcohol?" Another nod. Roxanne sighed. "Damn, why couldn't I have been lesbian like Ruby?" It was a whisper, but I could still hear her clearly. I rose a brow at her question to herself. "I'm busy tonight," she said swiftly before looking away from Zak and continuing to type.
"Okay... maybe another time, right?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Was Roxanne's reply. Zak walked away to complete his own work and I leaned closer to my desk to talk to Roxanne.
"What the hell was that?"
"Vague question..." Roxanne practically taunted, whether she realized it or not.
"What the hell was with your answer?"
"What? I'm busy tonight."
"Bullshit."
"You think I'm lying?"
"It's pretty damn valid in terms of your previous questions and-or statements."
"So you want me to go to the bar with you and everyone else in this place tonight."
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I did not."
"Then why are you so upset about my answer?"
"Because of Zak!" I shouted, and I was immediately relieved to know that Zak was not in the room.
"Aw..." Roxanne breathed, leaning back in her chair and smiling slightly. "The best friend. I see. You do realize that Mr. Hall has a significant other, correct?"
"Significant other? Why can't you just say 'girlfriend' like the rest of us?"
"Why can't you understand that work comes before everything else?"
"So what? You don't have family? You don't have friends? You only have your precious little dog? Is that it?"
"She's not little. And you don't know a damn thing about me."
"Then tell me something. Anything."
"Go to Hell."
"I've already been there and back. The devil didn't want me."
"Hilarious." She turned back to her computer and started to type again.
"Is work the only thing you care for? The only thing you do? What happens when you have the day off? What about holidays? What about... you're family and friends? What do they think of your addiction."
"Addiction? Is that what you call it. I have a job, Sempers. So do you. I carry a gun and badge, take down what people like to call 'the bad guys,' and get paid. What do you do? The same damn thing."
"But I'm not the one obsessing over it. Is that why you helped me? Because you were bored? Or was it because you don't have an actual life?"
"I have a life. But unlike you, I don't mix my personal life with my work life. That's how it should be."
"So no one who you work with should be able to know who 'Emery' is? Or that you have a German Shepherd named 'Cleopatra?' Or that you actually have feelings, but hide them behind a wall of ice and cold and heartless thoughts? Shall I go on?"
Roxanne stopped typing and stared off into space. She looked hurt, which was new to me.
"Why don't you just leave it, Alexander?" Roxanne spoke suddenly. Most of the guys in the precinct had left during our argument, so the room was less than half full. "Go to the damn bar and leave all of this behind. It's not going to do you a damn thing to start a fight with me." I stood up and looked back at Roxanne one last time before leaving.
"It wouldn't do you a damn thing either, to have the heart to share a few things."
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