Always

Raising an eyebrow at Pete again Trey gives a little shake of his head. Maybe he was right about the badge, maybe he was just full of himself too, but he did a agree about someone wearing there pants half down there butt.

"I always hate seeing how scummy some people can dress. I never did understand that and why a woman would go gaga over that."

Taking a sip of his own drink Trey looks back to Pete as he asks what his deal is. Raising an eyebrow at the nickname it seemed he'd been giving he shakes his head.

"T huh...I think I might like it."

Leaning back in the booth again and sliding the napkin from under his silverware setting it on the table and picking at it for a moment Trey thinks about his answer before looking up at Pete again and crossing his arms over his chest. Just thinking about it made him upset all over again.

"I'm here because my parents though it would be safer to ship me off to a place where drug lords and mobsters can get to me. As soon as everything it cooled down though I am going back to my life in Mexico where I like it. "

Thinking again for a moment Trey looks out the window just watching the people walk around outside. He'd been a prisoner for so long and he didn't even know it, still even now. But now he was at TJY unable to leave, or go about doing as he wanted so he was trapped. A caged lion just wanting to be set free.

"I didn't choose to come here I was forced, and if I expect my parents to send me money and the stuff I need like they said they would I got to play along. I highly doubt being locked inside a building to eat, sleep and hardly breath all day was in there idea though."

Rolling his eyes he sits up again and leans on the table. Pete was different he seemed, more to be the one who would bend the rules and maybe that would work out in Trey's favor.

"So whats up with you? Where you always one of the guys who took order from Reese?"

Just moving from room to room in Justin's house Beth looked at pictures and other things he had hanging on his wall. He had a good taste in decorating his house. Going through the whole house Beth finds herself back at Justin's office looking around a little more while he finished up on the phone.

Once he was done though Beth stops her looking around and stand her arms crossed in front of her. Giving a small smile she new he had work to do.

"Your life's not so bad. Least you don't have to deal with drunks. Well...I don't...think you do anyways."

Taking a few more steps twords his desk Beth thinks for a moment about his comment with cleaning the gutters. She'd looks at almost everything in his house already paying close mind to the pictures he had and studying the faces well. Maybe outside outside was be nice.

"Can...I help you?"

Gutters

Pete grins back at Trey with a sly look, keeping himself from glancing back to Nikki even though he wanted to. "See this?" He holds up his badge and thumps it. "Chick magnet, Dog. Girls dig the whole macho protector thing. If I'da come in here with pants halfway down my butt and start shooting off arrogant crap from the top of my head, they'd never give me a look again." He squints one eye knowingly. "But a guy like me whose got clean-cut suave? Now that gets phone numbers."

His grin turns into a wide smile as he takes a sip of his water. "Ait, so what's your game, T? You on the run or just hanging out here til a storm blows over?"


Justin grins and nods as he chews his salad. "Yeah, we'd try to hit targets and everything. You get the watermelons with the big black seeds, they're just begging to become slimy projectiles."

Once lunch was over, Justin invites Beth to explore the house or stay in the living room or come with him to his office, though it was a bit cluttered. For the next hour, he had calls to make...

"...yeah, hi, Mrs. Slack, did you get that new cord in the mail? Great. You couldn't get it plugged in? Oh... no, that needs to go in the back of your tower, ma'am..."

"...just hold down the function key and... no, you just closed the window instead of quitting the application..."

"...alright, Greg, you got a Mac or PC?"

"...right, okay, now... what was that? Well, now you'll have to reboot."

"...no, ma'am, that's for your internet."

"...I'm sorry, but I have nothing to do with your local provider, you'll have to call them. No, I can't call them for you, you will have to call them and explain the bill to them yourself."

"...make your window smaller, sir. No, just click on the corner of.... no, the screen... the window... what do you see in front of you?"

...Groaning, Justin leans back in his chair and swivels around, putting his back to his computer. Another day of wondering why on earth he'd advertised for tech support. Oh yeah - so he could pay his bills.

Yawning, he glances to Beth who was looking around the office at the pictures on the wall, knick knacks on the shelves and trying not to trip over the filing boxes on the floor. "Welcome to my life." He grins. "It gets better. Now I get to go clean gutters."


Alec's mouth twitches, wanting to smile. "We never even had this conversation." He waves a hand, more than willing to leave Dalton's name out of it, should anything happen. And besides, he wasn't planning on anything but going to the races then coming back.

Working a few more moments, he then gives Dalton another glance. The big man was alright.

Intresting

Seeing that Pete remembered her Nikki's face lite up a little more as the nervous feeling passed and now it was more of an excited one. She was hoping her friends would still remember her and though she had changed in ten years she still looked almost the same minus the braces and no glasses.

Taking Phil's number for a moment Nikkie felt a little bad but than glancing down at his badge and seeing it she was a bit surprised to know Pete was in with law now but understood as well he must be on a job.

Still holding her smile and giving a nod she rocks on her heels for a moment before slipping the number into her purse and thinking for a moment. This afternoon she did have some to do but tonight she might be free.

"Seven...I think I can handle that."

Letting her hand bush Pete's for a moment she brings them back to her side one holding her purse and the other one at her side.

"I'll see you tonight again. It was great seeing you even if for only a few moments. Take care Pete."

Turning and heading the other way Nikki goes to one of the other tables and sits down to eat crossing her legs under the table and than pulling out a book to start to read.

Entering the restront again Trey tucks some money into his pocket before walking forward more. Starting to the table once again he catches sight of the woman who was walking away from Pete.

Raising an eyebrow and sliding back into the booth Trey looks over to where she was sitting and than back to Pete.

"You have you own fan club? Who was that smoking blond?"

Trey can't help but look to the table again and than back to Pete. She was really pretty and he couldn't believe how many girls Pete got second looks from.

Looking down at the water and hearing that Justin wasn't just going to leave her high and dry it made Beth feel a little more warmth. It felt good not being pushed aside and having someone who really wanted to spend time with her.

"Spitting seeds? I think...that sounds interesting."

Reaching over and taking another peace of watermelon Beth pops it into her mouth and chews on it. Last time she had watermelon it was a long time ago and she had forgotten the tast on how sweet it was.

Giving Alec a sidelong glance at his question Dalton looks back for his computer for a moment. Not saying anything right away to Alec again as the quiet is filled with clicking of computer keys. Letting out a sigh his mind works. Alec wanted to leave, he'd more than likely want to go see his girl and he always did come back. Maybe just this once he could do this for once.

"I'm going to be here late tonight trying to figure this stuff out so I think I can do that for you, but don't make me reget it or I'll come after you myself."

Dalton looks to Alec for a moment his mouth curling a little into a grin that his last part was joking, but if it came down to it he would.

On Duty

"Yeah." Pete waves off Trey, letting him go outside. He turns to his glass of water, but one eye stays on a picture on the wall that had just enough reflection for him to see Trey's figure outside the front door. He remains relaxed though, seemingly and perhaps strangely, confident that the younger man would return on his own.

Lost in his own thoughts about his current task, the approaching woman startles him. Looking up quickly, his eyebrows rise slightly as he takes in the woman's features. Nikki... Nikki... he racks his brain.

"I..." He squints a little, trying to figure out if he really knew her or not. Nikkie Keller... the name did ring a bell. And she'd called him Peter. No one had called him that in a long time. Then it dawns on him. His eyes widen in total surprise and almost shock at seeing her. "Nikki Keller... of course."

Still shocked, he tries to clear the cobwebs from old memories. Yes, it had been a long time. He was impressed she'd recognized him at all. Last time she'd probably seen him, he'd been quite a bit huskier with a head of hair, let alone he'd been much younger. "Wow." A grin slowly comes to his lips. But just as quickly, it fades. Right now was not a good time to socialize. He was right in the middle of keeping steady a stick of dynamite and one wrong move could blow the whole thing. His eyes flash back to the picture on the wall to make sure he could still see Trey's reflection.

Thinking quickly, Pete grabs a napkin and fishes a pen out of his pocket to scribble down his cell phone number. Before he hands it to Nikki though, his eyes automatically drift over her left hand. Giving his number to a married woman would not be such a great idea, but he finds her ring finger empty. "Here." His eyes lock with hers. "If you can't meet me back here at seven tonight, call me."

Leaning back a little, he reaches to his belt where he shows his Elite badge as a warning he was on duty. He didn't want to brush her off or make her feel badly but the timing just wasn't so great right now. More than likely, this would come as a surprise to her - ten years ago, Pete was struggling to make it in college and was as far away from law enforcement as anyone. Nikki probably didn't even know about his mother who had passed at least a year after Nikki had moved away.

Pete's eyes linger on hers for a moment, as if apologizing and asking her not to feel slighted by this short greeting. He really did want to see her - catching up with old friends was always fun and he'd had some really good times hanging out with her and his brother. He didn't know if she was back in town just visiting or even if she had time to meet him at another time, but it was all he could offer right now. And if not, she had his number so hopefully he'd catch up to her again at some point.


Justin chuckles and shakes his head. "Yeah, that was her. If Ma finds out she called, she'll be all over it."

Looking up quickly at Beth's next comment, he gives her a look that wasn't irritated, but it was meant as a slight chide. "Do you really think I'm the type to dump you or go back on my word about fishing? It's first come first serve around here. You were first and I said we were going, so that's that. Rebecca can wait and if she can't then she isn't worth seeing."

Nodding with finalization, he starts in on his salad. Seeing Beth liked the watermelon, he grins. "My brother and I used to have seed spitting contests."


Alec moves back out of Dalton's way for a few moments, his eyebrows raised a bit. It was weird that he had just really helped and hearing that if it hadn't been for him, they wouldn't have latched on to this. He'd... actually helped with something? Really? More than just boring filing work?

He shrugs lamely. "You're...welcome." Looking back to the computer screen, he just sits for a moment before putting his hands back on the keyboard. "Yeah I don't have anything better to do... until tonight." He gives Dalton a sidelong glance, wondering if he could trust the big man. "You don't think you could shut down the locks for, oh, about thirty seconds tonight, do you?" He knew Reese could track him if he used a security card to sneak out again, and he was planning on returning before daybreak, but anything to avoid more hassles would be worth it.