Rollie had a secret smile on his face as he rode with Elena to pick up Leo. He wouldn't tell her that he and Angie had reunited. He would just show her how focused he could be from now on.
Angie was curled up on the couch crying her eyes out. It hurt so much to let Rollie go like that. But what was she to do? She tried to force his hand and what did that get them? They were apart for almost a month, a month when they could have been together and maybe even gone off and eloped, but now? Now it was too late. She had wasted all that time. At least they had made some memories of today. She would use them to keep herself warm and count the days and nights until Rollie's return.
"There, there, Angie girl." Dingo patted Angie's shoulder, not really knowing what to say or do. This was a situation he had never found himself in before. "Our Rollie will be back quicker than a lizard drinking. You just let it all out now."
Angie turned her head to see Dingo Tyler sitting beside her on the couch. He had a weird half smile on his face.
"Oh— I'm just imagining you as my daughter-in-law." Dingo smiled when he caught Angie's eyes on him. "It's not half as scary as me...as your father-in-law."
Angie giggled and hugged Dingo tightly.
"Rollie asked me to keep an eye on you and that's just what I intend to do," Dingo promised.
Angie grabbed Dingo's face and opened his mouth with her hands. She examined the inside of his mouth.
"Eh, Angie, what are you doing?" Dingo asked, completely perplexed. "Are ya' in training to be a dentist or something? Just so you know, I hawked my gold fillings a long time ago."
"Really? That's good to know." Angie giggled. "I was just checking to see if your tongue is silver. You and Rollie both seem to have been born with one."
Elena sat with Rollie in the first class section on the airplane. Leo sat a few seats back. She had arranged it to be just so. Rollie sat at the window looking out. An ocean would be separating him and Angie but after their reunion he now felt closer to her than ever. Elena was chattering to him about something or other but he just tuned her out. Once in a while she would rub her hand on his knee. But Rollie didn't notice. She could dance naked in front of him, no— make that; naked with tassels dangling from her breasts and a snake draped over her shoulders, and he wouldn't have noticed.
Rollie's mind kept going back to his and Angie's reunion. Their lovemaking had never been so urgent, so full of longing and passion. They had never before reached such heights, not like that. Rollie's eyes crinkled with the memory and his fingers caressed his mouth as he remembered Angie's lips on his, her breath in his ear, the touch of her skin, the swell of her breasts, the taste of her, and the sound of her voice as she breathlessly said his name. Even now, Rollie found himself getting aroused.
Once they were over the ocean Rollie got up to stretch his legs and to get away from Elena. At one time he had found Elena's aggressiveness sort of charming and challenging but now...he was just annoyed by it. He walked back to see Leo, who was listening to music on the headphones and doing a crossword puzzle. He removed the headphones when he noticed Rollie approaching.
"Hey, Leo."
"So, did you have enough of Elena Serrano's feigned disinterest in you? Or did you just decide that a once-dead NYPD police detective was better company than a fiery, Latin FBI agent who has the hots for you?" Leo smirked.
Rollie grimaced as he took the seat next to him. "Give it a rest, will you?"
Leo considered Rollie's disposition. There was something different, something in his eyes. "What's going on Rollie? Out with it. You're not seriously considering something with that federal Habanera, are you?"
"No! Certainly not." Rollie sat in the seat next to Leo. "As a matter of fact," he whispered as a broad smile covered his face, a smile that reached his eyes, but first he looked ahead to Elena. "Angie and I are back together," he announced quietly.
Leo grinned. "Hey, pal, that's—"
Rollie put a finger to his lips. "Leo, this needs to be on the QT. I don't want Elena to know about it. I just think it's better that way, don't you?" he asked with a wink.
Leo winked back and smiled. "Definitely, pal. Definitely."
They arrived in London and Rollie, Leo, and Elena were put up at a small country estate just outside of the city. Elena had arranged for her room to be near Rollie's and they shared a balcony.
Rollie got to work setting up his equipment in a downstairs study right away. After several hours working on it Rollie went upstairs to unpack and lie down when heard the raised voices of Leo and Elena coming from one of the bedrooms. It was coming from Rollie's bedroom.
"What the hell is going on here?" Rollie demanded.
Elena turned to Rollie. "Detective McCarthy seems to think that he is staying here Rollie."
"He is."
"What?" Elena's eyes flashed on him.
"I switched rooms with Leo. I prefer the morning sun. Besides, Leo is my friend. It's the least I can do to offer him a bigger room for his sacrifice." Rollie smiled. "Don't you agree, Elena?"
"Rollie. The rooms were all prearranged—"
"Oh really?" Rollie crossed his arms and looked at her quizzically. "For what purpose, Elena?"
"In case...in case I needed to discuss the case with you."
"Well, you're not going to be coming to my bedroom at all hours of the night. Let's get that straight right now." Rollie saw Elena's face redden. "And as for discussing the case, Leo is involved too. Whatever you want to discuss with me you can discuses with him as well. Comprende?" Elena made no reply. "Good. I'm glad that's settled." Rollie turned his attention to the other person in the room. "Leo, I'll help you with your things."
The next morning Rollie and Leo were having breakfast following Rollie's training session. Elena came in and abruptly dropped four huge manila folders onto the table in front of Rollie.
"What's this?" Rollie asked as he chewed on some toast and looked up at her.
Elena sat down at the table. "These are files on four men. The Bureau feels that these men pose the best chance of connecting with Victor Loubar. Study them Rollie. Know them inside and out. One of them is the key to Victor Loubar."
Rollie looked at the four thick folders. "Bloody hell, Elena. Do you expect me to devote a year to this?"
"Why the hell not?" Elena asked perfectly serious. "Besides, I told you it would take time. There's no deadline—"
"Oh yes there bloody well is! I'm putting one on it right now!" Rollie stood up.
"Rollie."
"What? Elena —"
"Come on, Rollie!" Elena came towards Rollie. "What have you got to go back home to?"
Rollie shot her a dirty look. "Do not even go there," he warned her. "I still have my work and the rest of my life to get back to and don't you forget that. I didn't sign up for this thing indefinitely and you know that."
"Oh really? Well, my superiors would never have agreed to this arrangement if they thought that you weren't serious about it," Elena pointed out. "And by being serious they mean being ready to devote as much time as it takes to get the job done. A job, I might add, that you came to us with. Do you know how much work went into securing the cooperation of our European counterparts?"
Rollie bowed his head knowing that was probably true. He couldn't expect to just volunteer for this job for a month or two. What if things took longer? What if Loubar moved from London and they lost track of him. It could take months or even years. In his zeal to catch Loubar Rollie hadn't realized what he was really getting himself into. No, he told himself. If this didn't work he was going to be on the first plane back to Angie and their life together. He had almost lost Angie once over this and it was bad enough they spent weeks separated...Rollie honestly didn't know how he would survive a longer absence. Loubar and Elena be damned!
Leo had been quiet, listening to all this. It was so obvious to him that Elena was working Rollie. It was equally obvious that Rollie wasn't having any of it. "Look. Rollie's right. Neither one of us signed on for this long term—"
"Really? Well, I don't recall inviting you Detective McCarthy. If you're not prepared to be here for the long haul I suggest you get on the next plane back to New York."
"Elena!" Rollie growled at Elena's rudeness.
Leo laughed. "No. You didn't invite me. I invited myself because I owe this man my life and I intend to make good on that debt. If you don't like it...choke on it, sweetheart!" Leo's dislike and distrust of the feds was definitely colouring his view at the moment.
Rollie could see Leo getting angry. "Right. Why don't we all just take a moment and calm down," Rollie suggested.
"No need." Leo replied calmly. He returned his attention to Rollie who stood shaking his head. "As I was saying, may I suggest that we choose one of these guys and go from there? We don't need to go after all of them, Rollie. That's up to the FBI. Our one and only concern is Loubar."
Rollie nodded. "I agree," he said as his eyes bored into Elena's.
"Fine!" Elena got the message.
Elena insisted that Rollie continue his training while they got settled. So, for the first week after they arrived Rollie continued with his trainer doing boxing, judo, and shooting lessons all of which were improving. The training also had the added bonus of adding tone and muscle to Rollie's physique. Not that he was really out of shape before but now you could definitely see muscle definition through his t-shirts. Elena admired the improvement and often ran her hands down Rollie's arms when she spoke with him.
While Rollie continued with his training Leo, and Elena also went over the files. They also spent some time going over surveillance tapes that had been gathered of Loubar over the years. However, Elena was growing impatient with the way things were going. If there was a plan, she wasn't aware of it and that bothered her since she was the Agent in charge. If things went wrong it would fall on her shoulders and if a civilian was killed in the process....
Elena shivered at the thought. But as far as she was concerned Rollie was spending far too much time examining the tapes of Loubar than he was working on the files or in putting together a plan or training. Rollie seemed to have an idea of what he was doing although Elena wasn't always privy to what those ideas were and that grated on her nerves.
"Look at that!" Rollie motioned to the TV screen.
"What?" Elena and Leo asked, not understanding what he was pointing at.
"That!" Rollie pointed again. He grabbed the remote and rewound the tape. "Look! Look how he slammed his hand down on the table—"
"So what?" Elena asked, perplexed. She didn't see the point to what Rollie was seeing.
"That's very telling," Rollie insisted as he started pacing, his mind busy with thoughts. "Loubar is usually very composed, very in control. He likes to be in control. He needs to be in control. Getting upset like that and slamming his hand down on the table tells me he lost control, even if only for a moment. It means that he's not as methodical as he would like. It means his buttons can be pushed." Rollie paused in thought. "I wonder what made him lose it." Rollie rubbed the stubble on his chin in contemplation. "It's too bad we can't hear what's on that tape and hear what made him so angry—"
"Well...we know you make him angry." Leo smirked.
"That's right!" Rollie snapped his fingers. "We could use that, possibly." Rollie paced the room again, deep in thought and seemingly unconcerned about the danger that would put him in.
Leo worried about the dangers Rollie seemed willing to put himself in to catch Loubar. He was glad that his two friends had reunited, especially after seeing how miserable Rollie had been during their breakup. He also had to wonder if the reunion with Angie would do more harm than good during this mission and whether Rollie was more willing and more determined to take chances because of that.
"Just what the hell are you thinking of, Rollie?" Elena demanded after a few moments of watching Rollie pace the room.
"Just this." Rollie stopped pacing and picked up one of the file folders. He threw it onto the table in front of Elena. "I think it's time we brought the two of them together." Rollie smiled.
Elena looked at the folder. "Angus McKay?" She smiled. "Perfect."
"Angus McKay has been under surveillance for years. He's a small time gunrunner with a well-known hatred of the British monarchy. Because of that, we suspected that he and Loubar would eventually cross paths. It was only a matter of time, really." Elena explained. "McKay hates the monarchy and everything to do with British rule, in what he considers, Scottish sovereign territory. We've had him under surveillance for a while. Recently, our operatives uncovered a plot of his to murder a member of the Royal family," Elena paused. "But I'm curious, Rollie. Why him?"
"Well, there are a couple of reasons." Rollie began slowly. "There's the fact that he and Loubar have never met, yet in real life we all know they are destined to. You know, birds of a feather flocking together and all that. Then, well...there's the similarity between his height and physicality in comparison to mine. And...I can do a Scottish accent." He smiled. "Och! Seems to me a perfect choice, laddy."
"One problem. Where is the real Angus McKay right now?" Leo asked.
"That is not a problem," Elena assured him. "He's dead."
"What?" Rollie stammered.
"He was killed recently during a hunting trip. Our British counterparts had him under surveillance. It was an unfortunate accident...." She lowered her eyes and Rollie wasn't so sure it was an accident after all. She continued "We've kept news of his death secret hoping to be able to use it somehow—"
"So, what? Was this some kind of test? What if I had picked someone else?" Rollie asked.
"I knew you wouldn't." Elena smiled her assurance. "Great minds think alike."
"Aye. That they do," Rollie remarked with an accentuated Scottish brogue.
Later that evening Leo paid Rollie a visit in his room. Rollie was standing by the window when he called for Leo to enter.
"Hey, pal. How are you doing?" Leo asked as he handed Rollie a beer.
Rollie took the beer and smiled weakly. "I miss Angie." He sighed.
"Yeah, I figured."
Rollie looked down at his bottle for what seemed like the longest time. "You know, this is the longest we've been apart from each other, except for that time I went to Hong Kong searching for Taya. But even then I called back and checked in with her and well...things were different between us then." Rollie was quiet for a few moments as he pondered things. "Thank you for being here, Leo. It means a lot," he said as he raised his beer in salute. "It means a lot to Angie as well." His eyes became wistful. "She wanted me to tell you that."
"No problem."
"No problem?" Rollie laughed and shook his head. "You're supposed to be getting your life back in order. You know, becoming undead and everything that entails?"
"Oh that! That's not a problem." Leo assured his friend. "The paperwork is being handled even as we speak. And Francis has got his wife's cousin's brother-in-law out looking for an apartment for me. I fully expect to move in when we get back home."
"Home." Rollie repeated wistfully. "I wish I was home now."
"Just say the word—"
Rollie smiled weakly. "No. I can't. I have to see things through. The stakes are too high. But I have made a decision." Rollie looked at Leo. "I've decided that if things don't work out, if Loubar slips away again...then I'm going back home. I know he'll come after us again, revenge is too important to him. I'll just have to wait for him, protect Angie in any way that I can, and try and be ready for him." Rollie's hand reached under his shirt and fingered the ring Angie had given him before he left. "I just wish that Angie and I could have—"
"Could have what?" Leo asked.
"I wish we could have had more time together." Rollie sighed. "I felt so much stronger, ready for this, after our brief reunion. I dunno...maybe it's crazy but I really feel stronger when I'm with Angie. When we were apart I felt as if I was drifting. I mean it's not like I didn't have purpose; I had to prepare for this mission and deal with work details but I've never felt so alone as when I thought I lost Angie. And that's why I'll give this the old college try but if it doesn't work out," Rollie ran his hand over the stubble on his chin, "I realize now that Angie was right; I can't devote my life to revenge the way Loubar has."
"And that's what separates you from this madman. Everything is going to work out, Rollie." Leo squeezed Rollie's shoulder. "By the time this is over, Victor Loubar will wish he had never heard of Rollie Tyler."
"He already does." Rollie frowned. "That's why I'm his public enemy number 1. But you're right though; he's going to be sorry he ever went after Angie. That's where he crossed the line," Rollie said through clenched teeth. Rollie rubbed his tense neck muscles and took a long swig from his beer. "By the way, where did you get the beers?" Rollie asked, changing the subject in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"Oh, uh...the cook seems to like Americans. She picked some up special, just for me." He smiled.
"Oooh," Rollie laughed. "All work and no play make Leo a dull boy does it?"
"That it does, pal. That it does. I'm beginning to really like London."
Over the next few days Rollie studied surveillance tapes of Loubar and Angus McKay. There was only one of Loubar, the one time he was caught on tape, but there were several of McKay that Rollie could use to mimic his mannerisms and speech. Leo, Elena, and Rollie also worked out a plan that they would soon set in motion. It required a lot of risk on Rollie's part.
Then with the help of the GARP equipment, which was on loan from the FBI, he went about constructing masks of Loubar and McKay's faces using the images from the surveillance tapes and his 3-D rendering program. Angie would have made quick work of the 3-D process. Rollie shook his head in an attempt to clear distracting thoughts of Angie and what she was doing, and what she was wearing while she was doing it, out of his head.
"Are you okay?" Elena asked as she noted Rollie's distracted demeanor.
"Yeah, I'm um...I'm fine. This stuff is amazing," Rollie exclaimed as he pulled one of the masks out of the machine. "What I could do for the movies with this stuff."
"Unfortunately, this machine is too dangerous in the hands of the wrong people. I mean, on the face of it it's not really a weapon but look at what Loubar's already been able to accomplish with it. That's why, until now, even you haven't been given access to it," Elena explained.
"Well, I can certainly understand why." Rollie tried to hide his disappointment. He would dearly love to have this machine. He wondered if he and Angie could build their own machine. Rollie was pretty sure that he could reconstruct the machine through memory....
With the masks made, Rollie went about learning how to imitate Angus McKay's speech patterns and his mannerisms. And, unbeknownst to Elena and Leo, Rollie also set to work on his own idea, something to knock Loubar a little more off balance.
When Elena thought that he had Mackay's mannerisms down, Rollie called the phone number they had found in Delveccio's files to contact Loubar. Then, Rollie Tyler set up a meeting with his sworn enemy.
Rollie worked on creating a disguise for Leo, who would be accompanying Rollie as one of McKay's bodyguards. Another Scotland Yard agent would be going along as well, as another bodyguard. They would all be armed, including Rollie, in case something went wrong.
Rollie tested his, Leo's, and the Scotland Yard agent's mics in a rental van with all of his other equipment before they left. Rollie also showed Elena how to use the controls.
"We have to make sure that everything Loubar and I say is taped. So, I've set up two digital recorders to record everything, just in case. We only get one shot at this," Rollie said as he showed her the machines and what to look for. He would need to analyze and study the tapes to mimic Loubar's voice and mannerisms for another part of the plan.
"Okay. I understand," Elena said quietly. She looked up at Rollie with big, dark, eyes. "Rollie...be careful with Loubar. You never know what is going to set him off, especially now. He's becoming more and more unstable."
"That's exactly what I'm counting on Elena." Rollie smiled.
"If something goes wrong in there—"
"I know." Rollie cut her off. As he got ready to leave he stopped briefly to finger the ring that hung on the silver chain against his chest. Then, he placed the chain back beneath his shirt and grabbed his jacket. "Let's go," he called to his bodyguards.