Rollie climbed down and ran to where Angie and Li were. He found them under some debris. He pulled Li up first then Rollie focused his attention on Angie who was unconscious.
"Angie, baby. Wake up," Rollie's voice cracked as he patted her cheek, "Please, Angie, open your eyes!" His face went white when he saw that her back was covered in blood.
"My God! Angie!"
Angie's eyes fluttered open. She tried to focus her eyes on Rollie. "Ro...Rollie?"
She moved to get up, but Rollie caught her as she almost fell back down. Her head hurt and she was pale and unsteady on her feet. She looked at Rollie confused, "What?"
‘You've been shot!"
"I am? I was?" Angie stammered as she struggled to stand up, "Oh my God," Angie felt her chest and her stomach and then saw the blood on her hands and realized.... "Rollie, I'm okay. I'm okay."
"What?" Rollie couldn't believe what she was saying. He lifted her shirt up to inspect it for himself. Satisfied, he pulled her to him in a tight hug.
But then he and Angie both thought of something else at the same time. They turned to see Li slumped to the deck and against a wall. He was holding his stomach. Blood covered his shirt and hands.
"Oh my God! Li" Angie cried and ran to him.
"I uh...I don't feel so good," Li joked.
Rollie lifted Li's shirt to get a look at the wound. It was hard to see because of all the blood, but it looked bad.
"We have to get him out of here."
Rollie lifted Li up and carried him. He and Angie ran to where Mira was. When they got there more Harbor police and NYPD were boarding the ship. People were being helped off the ship and into awaiting dinghies to take them to the Coast Guard ship. Some were under police guard and handcuffed.
Rollie called for help. Someone from the Harbor police ran over and checked Li's vitals. He called on his radio for an airlift.
"You're going to be alright, Li," Rollie assured him as he held his hand, "they're going to airlift you out of here. You just hang on."
Angie knelt beside Li. "Hey, you better be all right. You still have that Pulitzer story to write remember?"
Li smiled weakly, "That's right. But what good is it if I can't write about you two?" he started to laugh but ended up in a coughing fit.
Angie looked over at Rollie with worry in her eyes. Rollie's eyes showed the same worry.
"You saved my life," Angie cried.
Li coughed again, "No. No, none of that now, we saved each other. You two taught us how to fight. You don't think I'm going to give up now?"
The whir of the helicopter approached as it kicked up the wind on deck. The Harbor cop came running back. He asked Rollie to give him a hand placing Li on the stretcher that was being lowered. The two men worked together to lift Li in unison and then strap him into the stretcher.
Rollie pulled Angie close and they watched as Li was lifted up into the helicopter and flown away.
Rollie held Angie, her back against him, as they continued to stare off the bow of the ship. Mira and Frank came over as some of the commotion onboard the ship died down. As they approached Rollie and Angie, they could see that Rollie was whispering quietly into Angie's ear. Angie's eyes were closed.
"Hey you too!" Mira said placing a tight squeeze on Rollie's shoulder, "Do you want a ride back to harbor?"
"Sure do," Rollie jumped slightly at the sudden touch on his shoulder. "Don't we have to answer questions first?"
"Yeah, you do," Francis answered, "but this ship is in pretty bad shape. The Coast Guard is going to have to tow it back to the harbor. It's best if we get off it"
"You okay, Angie?" Mira asked, seeing that Angie hadn't moved or opened her eyes yet.
Angie's eyes opened slowly. She saw Rollie looking down at her and felt his arms around her. She didn't ever want to leave his arms but realized she had to, "I'm fine," she said, finally pulling away, "I guess we better go make our statements."
Mira and Francis noticed the closeness of their two friends but wisely decided that now was not the time to either tease or question them on it.
Rollie and Angie left the Pasiphea and went to make their statements with Mira and Francis at Midtown South. Both detectives promised that it would be quick and any missing information could be gained in follow up statements.
"But what about the drugs?" Angie asked. "Did you find any?"
"Not a one," Mira admitted, "it turns out that drugs were a cover. The real smuggling was people, which you two stumbled upon."
"Li Chen did say that people smuggling is a lot more lucrative nowadays than drugs," Rollie offered, "any word on his condition?"
"His condition is guarded. He came out of surgery okay but there's some internal bleeding," Francis said. He had offered to call the hospital to find out for Rollie and Angie.
Rollie was sitting in a chair with his long legs splayed out. He rubbed his hands over the stubble on his face and looked over at Angie, who was sitting hunched forward in a chair across from him.
"Can we go home now?" he asked.
"Yes. Definitely," Mira answered, "I'll give you a ride home."
Rollie looked up at Mira, "Where's my van?"
"It's safe, don't worry. I had it taken back to your loft. Here are you keys," Mira looked at Angie, "By the way, Angie, it's a lucky thing you still had that tracker. We couldn't pick up Rollie's audio signal."
Angie smiled tiredly, "Yeah, lucky thing Rollie was such a jerk for trying to keep me away."
Rollie tapped her foot lightly with his foot, too tired to do anything else.
"Hey!"
"We did get some interesting pictures from the video feed, however," Francis said smiling and looking at Rollie.
Mira punched Francis on the arm.
"Ow!"
Rollie had a flash of recognition and covered his eyes with his hands. Angie was too tired to clue in on what they were talking about.
"All I mean is, that's how we found out about the human cargo," Francis clarified, though really that wasn't what he meant. "We had video proof, thanks to Rollie," he said, winking at Rollie.
"Oh boy," Rollie thought rolling his eyes.
Rollie and Angie walked out to the precinct parking lot waiting for Mira to take them home. Rollie had his arms around Angie's shoulder, supporting her, as she was so tired she could barely walk.
"So, what happened?" he asked finally.
"Hmm? Oh, well I couldn't risk a fireball frying all of you, so I set the bomb off somewhere else instead," she explained while avoiding his eyes, figuring he would be angry she didn't stick to the plan. She figured this would come up sooner or later.
"I kinda figured that," Rollie stopped walking, "What happened to sticking to the plan?"
"You told me to think like you," she lied.
"Nooo," Rollie said emphatically, "I most certainly did not."
Angie yawned, "Yeah, well that's not how I remember it."
"Selective memory, Angela. Selective memory."
Angie yawned again, "I'm tired and I want to go home!" she pouted.
Rollie's finger pulled on her bottom lip, and then he leaned in to kiss it. Mira came out of the precinct towards her car. Angie jerked away from Rollie when she spotted Mira. The movement was not lost on Rollie.
"Ready to go home?" Mira asked.
"I am sooo ready," Angie slurred.
"I think somebody's been up too long," Rollie laughed, as he opened the door for Angie.
Angie thought Rollie would sit in the front with Mira but was surprised when he joined her in the back. He placed his arm around her and pulled her close. Angie just about dozed off when Mira called back to her.
"So, where can I drop you Angie?"
"You can just take us to the loft," Rollie replied quickly.
Angie stirred from his shoulder, "Actually umm... I think I would like to go home."
Rollie shot her a look of both disappointment and anger. He was about to object when Angie pressed a finger to his lips.
"Shhh, Rollie, please!"
Rollie didn't understand what was going on with Angie. He shifted in his seat and stared out the window, doing his own pouting.
Mira shook her head as she watched the two of them in her rear-view mirror. She pulled up to Angie's apartment a few minutes later. Angie looked at Rollie, who still stared out the window.
"Thanks Mira," she said as she got out of the car.
Angie had just reached the stairs when Rollie got out of the car. He turned to Mira, "Give me a minute will you Mira?" Mira nodded.
Rollie ran up the stairs and reached Angie's hand on the doorknob, "Angie? What's going on?"
"Rollie, please."
"No. Don't, Rollie please, me! What about what happened on the ship? What about us?"
Angie's lips quivered, "Rollie."
Rollie stared at her for a moment and then spun on his heels, "I don't get you sometimes!" he started for the car, when his eyes caught Mira's angry glance at him, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to see Angie slumped to her knees, crying.
Rollie crept back up the stairs, "Angie? Angie, I'm sorry," his hand went to stroke her hair, "I'm sorry," though in truth he didn't know why he was sorry.
Angie jumped into his arms, her sobs heavy, "I'm sorry too, Ro... Rollie. I... I know...know I'm confusing you. But it's been so mu... much," she sobbed.
"It's okay," he spoke into her hair as they sat on one of the steps, "I'm used to it."
That brought an involuntary smile from Angie and she looked up at him and quieted a little, "It's just...." she hesitated.
"Go on," Rollie encouraged her.
"It's just been so overwhelming. These past few months, everything that's happened...." She sniffled, "getting proposed to by a really great guy. And finding out Loubar is still alive and got away again," Rollie held her tight as she shivered, "and then our adventure on the ship, the human smuggling, all those poor people, Li getting shot," she looked down at the blood on her shirt, "And then us...all within a space of what? Forty-eight hours or so?"
Rollie squinted into the late-afternoon sun, "It's a bit much, eh?"
"Just a bit," Angie lied.
They were quiet for a few moments. "What do you need Angie?" Rollie finally asked.
Angie looked up at Rollie and caressed his cheek softly; "I just need some time to myself for a little bit. I just feel so exhausted and overwhelmed right now."
Rollie placed his hand on Angie's knee and squeezed it, "Whatever you need. You know that, right?'
Angie nodded shyly and sniffled back tears. She really was exhausted.
"Alright. Well, you get some rest," he squeezed her knee again, "Just remember, I'm here if you need me," their foreheads leaning in together, his dark eyes staring into her tired ones. He was about to get up when he added, "But you need to know Angela, just in case you're having second thoughts, that if I have to fight Paul Richter for you, I will."
He kissed her softly then and helped her stand up. He opened the door for her and then turned and walked slowly down the stairs to the car waiting for him.
Angie's heart stopped when he said that. She leaned against the door of her apartment building, replaying it in her mind. She smiled broadly and sighed. "Papa," she said quietly, "Rollie loves me."