Chapter 12
Ali parked in her garage and climbed out of the car. It was a little past 8pm. Getting out of work at that time was early for her, but she was tired. She unlocked the main door to her apartment building and started climbing the stairs to her apartment. Soft music emanated from somewhere. Someone was cooking. It smells good, she thought. She was hungry and looking forward to eating dinner herself. She rounded the landing to her apartment and froze. Her door was slightly ajar. She backed up a few feet and drew her gun. Her senses heightened, and she was instantly alert. She slowly pushed open the door to her apartment and then tiptoed in, her gun leading the way. All the lights were off in her apartment, but there was a soft glow coming from the kitchen. Was that…music? She heard a dull crackling noise. Was something on fire? There was a dull scraping noise. What the hell is going on? Ali paused at the wall next to the arch entryway into the kitchen. Then she counted to three and whipped around the entryway, dropping into a shooter’s stance, gun drawn.
“Freeze!” she yelled in standard law-enforcement tone.
“Hi beautiful, how was your day?” Ashlyn looked up from the stove and smiled as she stirred the contents of a pan.
Ali stood there, jaw open. Ashlyn was cooking and drinking a glass of wine. Soft music was playing from the kitchen stereo. All of the lights were off except for the light above the stove and the candle that was on the kitchen table. Ali noticed that Ashlyn had found the finest plateware and sliverware in the apartment and had set it out. Ali looked in disbelief around her kitchen, trying to make sense of the whole scene, and then looked back at Ashlyn. She was wearing a dark blue suit with a light blue tie and a grey fedora. Her hair was down, and she looked absolutely stunning.
“Ashlyn! Jesus Christ, I could have shot you”, Ali said.
”Well, that would have put a damper on our dinner date, wouldn’t it have?” Ashlyn said, still smiling.
“W-w-what are you doing here?” Ali asked, as she holstered her gun.
“Making you dinner, gorgeous. Well, making us dinner.”
“No, I mean, what are you doing here, in my apartment?” Ali asked, incredulous.
“I wanted to see you. I’ve been thinking about you ever since our date the other night. I had a wonderful time at dinner, and I didn’t know when you would contact me, or if you would contact me, since I didn’t exactly give you a way to contact me, so I thought I would come see you.” Ashlyn smiled.
“How did you get in here? And, how do you even know where I live?”
“I spouted off your address the night before our date, remember? I offered to pick you up”, Ashlyn reminded her.
“Yes, I remember, but you didn’t tell me how you got my address”, Ali shot back.
Ashlyn put down the spatula and looked at Ali. “I’m an ex-Special Forces operator, remember? How hard do you think it is for me to find someone’s address?”
“Okay…and how did you get into my apartment?”
Ashlyn just shot Ali a look that said, really? Then she smiled and said, “Dinner’s almost ready. We’re having chicken with a wild mushroom ragout, buttered asparagus and truffle oil potatoes. You have a few minutes to get changed.” She smiled, like a housewife welcoming her spouse home from a long day at work.
Ali sighed and dropped her shoulders. Asking questions seemed to be getting her nowhere, so she just looked at Ashlyn and smiled slightly. “Thank you. I’ll be just a minute.” She walked into her bedroom and closed the door. She leaned back against a wall. How the fu-? Whatever, she thought, interrupting herself. I’m not even going to try to guess how Ashlyn found my address or got into my apartment. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I’m just going to try to relax and enjoy dinner. It does smell good, she thought. Ashlyn is apparently a woman of multiple talents. Ali stripped off her work clothes and then changed into a lavender dress and a pair of black heels, then went to the bathroom to touch up her makeup and hair. She came back into the kitchen just as Ashlyn was serving dinner onto plates and pouring her a glass of wine.
“Dinner’s ready”, Ashlyn said, looking up. “You look…lovely.”
“Thanks”, Ali said. “This”, she motioned to the food, “looks lovely.” Ashlyn came around to Ali’s side of the table and pulled her chair out for her. Ali smiled and sat down. Ashlyn pushed her chair for her, and as she did, she leaned down and caught Ali off guard with a kiss on the lips. Ali froze for a second, but then relaxed, and their lips remained pressed for a moment longer. Then Ashlyn broke the kiss and took her seat across from Ali.
“This is kind of nice, right?” Ashlyn asked, as she started in on her dinner.
“What is?” Ali asked.
“This”, Ashlyn said. “Having dinner. Together. Here. Like a couple. A normal couple.”
Ali stared at her. She was still incredulous that Ashlyn had basically stalked her address and then had broken into her apartment, but Ali had to admit that, on the flip side, it was kind of nice to have someone greet her when she came home and dinner on the table. She smiled at Ashlyn and said, “It is nice. Besides the fact that you somehow found my home address and then broke into my place, I must admit that dinner is delicious.”
“Hey”, Ashlyn said, feigning hurt feelings. “I put in a lot of work rounding up the ingredients for tonight’s dinner.”
Ali smiled, letting Ashlyn know that, despite Ashlyn stalking her and breaking into her apartment, she was somehow okay with that and appreciative of the meal and Ashlyn’s presence.
“So, how was your day?” Ashlyn asked.
Ali looked at her. “I figured you might already know. I mean, you already know where I live and how to get into my place.”
Ashlyn laughed softly. “Touche. But, even if I did already know, it’s more fun to ask. You know – we can pretend to be like a normal couple for tonight. I mean, don’t you ever wonder what it’s like, to have a normal life?”
“Do normal people break into each others’ apartments, even if they are surprising them with a nice dinner?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Or maybe not. I've never been in a normal relationship, so I wouldn't know. But regardless, now that we’re here, I want to hear about your day.” Ashlyn smiled. She was having fun playing house, but part of what she was also doing was trying to find out if the Maranos and the Disciples were meeting, and if so, where and when.
Ali looked at her. “You know I can’t tell you what we’re up to.”
“Then why don’t you just say, ‘it was fine, honey, how was your day?’” Ashlyn said and laughed softly.
Ali laughed too. This is kind of fun, she thought. “I don’t think I want to know about you day”, she said, half-jokingly.
Ashlyn smiled. “Well, I suppose maybe you shouldn’t, seeing as how you’re such a by-the-book gal”, she said and winked at Ali. She decided to pry again. “So, what’s the plan? What’s the next step?”
“Ashlyn, I just said, I can’t tell you. You know that.”
“So, are you telling me that you guys don’t have a plan?” Ashlyn knew she could find out what JOCT was up to, just by hacking into their database, but she wanted to see if she could get Ali to just tell her.
“I didn’t say that. I just said I couldn’t tell you the plan”, Ali said.
Ashlyn smiled slightly. No such luck, but she figured it was worth a shot. She made an exaggerated show of sighing. “Well, then let’s talk about something else. Something less contentious, something less likely to produce a lover's quarrel”, she said, as she winked at Ali and poured them each more wine.
Ali smiled at her. She was enjoying having Ashlyn over, even though, again, Ashlyn had broken into her place. It had been a long time since she’d had someone over for dinner, and a very long time since she’d had someone as stunning and intriguing as Ashlyn Harris over. Maybe never. Scratch that – definitely never.
“This is really good”, Ali said, as she cut another piece of her chicken. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”
“The Cooking Channel”, Ashlyn said, and then laughed. “No, I’ve always been interested in cooking. Maybe in an alternate universe or something, I would have been a chef.”
An alternate universe, Ali thought. There we go. An alternate universe, another life, perhaps, where we would have met under different circumstances. She decided to go with it. “So…in this alternate universe…what am I doing?”
Ashlyn put down her fork and folded her hands under her chin. “Let’s see…you are…a coach.”
“A coach, huh?” Ali asked. “And, what do I coach?”
“You teach…soccer...at a high school”, Ashlyn said and smiled.
Soccer, huh? Ali thought. “And…how did we meet?”
“We met…you were with some friends, some fellow coaches from the high school you coach at, and you came into my restaurant. I…I was making the rounds…and I stopped by your table to ask how everything was. You…answered for the table, saying that everything was wonderful. And…then I said, well, you should come back sometime. But I didn’t say that to the whole table. I said that to just you. And…two weeks later, you came back for dinner. By yourself. And you asked me to join you. And…I couldn’t, because we were too busy. So…you ate alone…but…I came out to visit as much as I could…and…when you were done eating…you asked me out.”
“So, I ate at your restaurant alone, and then I asked you out?” Ali said. "Sounds like role reversal to me."
Ashlyn smiled and nodded. “Yup. And, we’ve been together ever since.”
Ali smiled back. “Married to a chef. Sounds…wonderful”, she said, and stared into Ashlyn’s eyes.
“I can still cook”, Ashlyn said, still smiling. “Even in this universe.”
********
Ashlyn and Ali were sitting on Ali’s couch. Ashlyn had made a lemon tart with fresh whipped cream for dessert, and they took that, the candle and the rest of the bottle of wine and their glasses into the living room. Ali was facing forward on the couch, and Ashlyn was sitting sideways on the couch, her arm on the backrest, her knees almost touching Ali’s thigh.
“That was wonderful. Thank you”, Ali said.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it”, Ashlyn said.
Ali down and then looked up at Ashlyn and said, “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“What we were talking about when we were at dinner the other night, about whether or not our jobs are the same-“
“Uh oh, back to serious conversation again, huh?”
Ali smiled a bit sheepishly and said, “I just want to know…well, look, I know that you people in the Special Forces operate in a world with a lot of grey area…so, I mean, I’m just wondering…” she trailed off.
“What?” Ashlyn urged gently.
“I mean, if you kill someone…how do you…” Ali trailed off.
“How do I live with myself?” Ashlyn articulated for her. “You’re wondering how I live with myself if I kill someone?”
Ali looked at Ashlyn and said, “Yes. I suppose that’s what I’m wondering.”
Ashlyn set her glass of wine down on the coffee table. She thought for a minute and then said, “Well, if it’s a bad person, doing bad things, then I feel justified pulling the trigger.”
“But, you can't just go around killing people. I mean, it’s against the law.”
“Breaking the law doesn’t mean you’re always doing something bad.”
“But, when people break the law, bad things happen.”
"When bad people do bad things, bad things happen", Ashlyn said.
"We need law and order, Ashlyn."
Ashlyn looked at Ali for a moment and then said, “If breaking the law meant saving the life of someone you love, would you break the law?”
Ali looked back at Ashlyn. She was torn. Of course I would want to save the life of someone I love, she thought, but still…the law is the law, and I’m committed to upholding the law. “I don’t know. I mean, I think so, but the law is still the la-“
Ashlyn leaned in closer and looked Ali right in the eye. “Because I wouldn’t think twice about killing someone if it meant saving you.”
Ali stared at her back. Her thoughts were swirling right now. Ashlyn, sitting so close…her scent…her intense eyes…the conversation they were having…the two glasses of wine she had drank…Ali couldn’t put everything together at the moment, but she did know one thing. All of a sudden, in this moment, she felt safe. She felt safe, and she felt…loved. She wasn’t sure if she was in love with Ashlyn Harris, but she felt safe and loved. Loved, or at least that someone cared deeply for her. Ali opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was “I-I-I…”
Ashlyn looked at her for a moment longer, then got up off the couch. She took Ali’s wine glass from her hand and set it on the coffee table, then climbed on top of Ali and straddled Ali’s lap. She took her left hand and ran her fingers through Ali’s hair, and then took her right hand and cupped Ali’s chin. She looked into Ali’s eyes for just a moment longer, and then leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips. Ali closed her eyes as she felt their lips connect. Their lips remained pressed for a moment, and then this time Ali opened the kiss, and Ashlyn felt Ali’s tongue enter her mouth and lightly touch hers. They stayed there, locked, tongues dancing for a minute, and then Ali unbuckled Ashlyn’s belt and tossed it to the floor. She took off Ashlyn's tie, unbuttoned Ashlyn’s shirt, and Ashlyn took it off the rest of the way. Ali stared at Ashlyn’s chiseled physique. She traced a wicked-looking scar that ran across the left side of Ashlyn’s rib cage with her finger, and then looked up into Ashlyn’s eyes. Ashlyn leaned down to kiss Ali again, and then she stood up and pulled Ali to her feet. She pulled the shoulders of Ali’s dress down, and then Ali stepped out as it fell to the floor. Ashlyn looked at Ali again and planted another lingering kiss on her lips, and then she picked Ali up and carried her into the bedroom.
********
Ali and Ashlyn laid naked in Ali’s bed. Ali was on her side, and Ashlyn was behind her, lightly kissing Ali’s neck and gently running her fingers through Ali’s hair. Ali’s eyes were heavy and she felt herself starting to drift towards sleep.
“Yes”, Ashlyn said.
Ali tilted her head back so she could see Ashlyn’s face. “Yes, what?”
“’Yes’ to your question from dinner a few nights ago” Ashlyn said. “It was me.”
“What was you?” Ali asked.
“You asked me if I killed those two mafia guys and those three gangbangers.”
“That’s right, I did”, Ali remembered.
Ashlyn looked right at Ali and said, “Yes. I did. It was me."
Ali looked into Ashlyn’s eyes. She reached up and ran her fingers through Ashlyn’s hair, and then said, “I know.” Then she leaned in and kissed Ashlyn on the lips and asked, “Why did you just tell me?”
“Because you asked me.”
“I know, but why did you tell me? You didn’t have to answer that question.”
Ashlyn looked back into Ali’s eyes and said, “Because I want us to give it a shot at being together. And, if we’re going to do that, I want us to be honest with each other. Even if that means telling each other things that we may not want to say or hear.”
Ali smiled slightly. She kissed Ashlyn on the lips again and then turned her head back. Together, she thought. With an assassin. But together. But with an assassin. This is just…crazy. Flip flop, flip flop, her mind went, as she drifted away into sleep, Ashlyn still lightly kissing her neck and gently running her fingers through her hair.