Boyfriend

Immediately loving Beth's sense of humor, Zach laughs. "Your secret is safe with me."

Still smiling, he studies her face for a moment. Yes, there was definitely something about her that did not match her occupation. There was a softness about her that didn't fit someone working in a bar. He wondered how it was she'd come to be here.

He also wondered what on earth he was doing. But after boring evening after boring evening, company and pleasant conversation was too inviting to pass up. He could talk to his dog all he wanted, but it just wasn't enough. He still hadn't settled on finding a church yet either, so finding good friends wasn't coming quickly. And his coworkers? Well, there again, there just weren't too many there that he'd want to hang out with. So he was at a bar. That made a whole heap of sense. He inwardly rolls his eyes at himself. No, it didn't make a lick of sense. But he was here, the cherry coke was good and whether or not anybody would believe him, the company was good too.

After glancing from side to side, Zach leans into the counter a little more. "Okay, so, would it be safe for me to ask you out for a cup of coffee when you get off work, or is there a boyfriend hiding in the shadows that would come beat me to a pulp for asking?"


Reese grins as Angelica links arms with him. "I'm thinking.... Chinese. If you don't mind a little less than formal atmosphere, I'm actually craving the sweet and sour chicken at Tou Han's."

Not half an hour later, Reese was seated across from Angelica at a booth in the little Chinese restaurant. The aroma alone would make anyone hungry. As much as Reese had been craving this food though, he ends up picking through his chicken, not eating as much as planned. Quiet, he's thoughtful, carrying on some small talk, but nothing too much deeper than the weather.

Eventually, though, he sets down his fork and rests his elbows on the table to set his chin in his hands. Looking over at Angelica, he searches her eyes. "I need help, Angelica. There's something I've been trying to get a handle on for weeks now and... I finally realized I can't do it alone. I shouldn't be talking to anyone about it but..." He shrugs lamely. "If there was one person I'd tell, it's you because I trust you."

Sighing, his gaze drops for a moment before he looks back up at her again. "The Elite is in trouble. The board is cracking down on us and wanting more and more control over what we do. Brown doesn't like it, but his hands are tied. I'm having to send more and more reports every day and include more and more details on everything just so the board can scrutinize everything we do. It's putting us in a box and squelching our purpose."

That wasn't really new - everybody was aware that things weren't like they used to be and that they were answering to higher authority now. They still had a different set of rules than the other law enforcement agencies, but the reins were getting tighter.

"I wouldn't mind so much but it's beginning to affect our agents. Freedom is gone. They're struggling to stay within bounds and make sure they don't get in trouble, rather than letting their passion for justice lead their actions. We're the Elite... but we're not allowed anymore to act like it."

Another sigh slips out. Did he dare say what he wanted? "I've... been considering reestablishing some of our former policies." He bites his lip. Did she understand? "Unfortunately, that would require a level of secrecy. We would be far from underground like we were once, but... the board might not exactly know about everything we're doing. I'm afraid of leaks through the board, I'm afraid of them coming down harder on us, and I'm afraid of losing my agents because of stupid rules and regulations that are only there to control us. But if we reestablished some of our high priority, top secret files..."

There. He'd said it. The implication hangs in the air. "I know you're a lawyer and bound by a different code of ethics. And if I didn't trust you like I do, I'd never make you keep a secret like this. But I gotta know... Is this something the Elite should do? Or do we follow the board and bend to their will until we're just like every other law enforcement out there?"